“Is this how a 21st century Capital should be managed?”, Delhi HC slams MCD again

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday lambasted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for its blatant defiance of court orders in yet another animated hearing of the matter pertaining to sanitation and spread of vector-borne diseases in Delhi..Another ground report of ABP news was played inside the courtroom before the the Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, as has been the norm since the past couple of hearings. Reporter Ankit Gupta of the channel had earlier been appointed as the local commissioner for the case..The report showed the grim reality which encapsulates the city. Colonies and roads of areas such as Seelampur, Anand Parvat, Mayur Vihar and Kotla were filled with garbage. The report also highlighted the lack of proper equipment..Appearing for the MCD, ASG Sanjay Jain submitted that there are many authorities for the same job and this creates confusion,.“Multiple authorities need to have a conjoined, integrated and synergized approach.” .Acting CJ Mittal, who has been quite invested in this matter, stated that it is wrong to say that there is any confusion. The duties are well defined..“You have no plan. You just go on regularizing colonies without thinking about the impact on the city. You are filing these reports saying that everything is hunky dory but you are unwilling to admit that you have failed in your duties.. Is this the way a 21st century capital of the country should be managed? We claim to be competing with London and tout 7-8% growth rate yet in this very city people are sorting out solid waste in drains with their bare hands..Is this the job of the division bench of the court? This is the job of a janitor…You don’t know where to start. You should have filed statements enlisting your needs instead of these fancy 100 page reports which do not show us the truth. You have employed illiterate people to carry out activities of inspection and finding solutions. There is no scientific approach.”.ASG Jain submitted that there is a need for out of the box thinking and analysis of the situation so that a comprehensive plan to fix the problem can be chalked out..Justice Shankar retorted sarcastically by saying that this is an excellent five year plan but what is needed is an immediate solution..“You seem to be proceeding on the premise that everything is fine from your end and all the problems and mismanagement lie elsewhere. First, you need to see whether your staff is carrying out their responsibilities. You can’t keep your own house in disarray.” .Finally, the court directed that disciplinary action must be taken against the erring officers of the MCD and that a report be submitted. The Court also asked for a list of equipment required by the MCD to fulfill their duties. It stated,.“Punishing for contempt is easy but that will not solve this serious problem.”.The Court had previously issued a contempt notice to the commissioners of all three municipal corporations asking them to be present during all the subsequent hearings..The matter will be next heard on June 27.