New Delhi: A day after a huge portion of a landfill in east Delhi’s Ghazipur collapsed, leading to two deaths, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that no fresh garbage will be dumped in Ghazipur and Bhalaswa landfill sites. The announcement came after a meeting with lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal on Saturday evening. 

Earlier in the day, the L-G’s office said garbage dumping in east Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill site has been banned with immediate effect and it is likely to be cleared within two years. It, however, said that banning garbage dumping at Bhalaswa in North Delhi is under consideration, but a decision in this regard is yet to be taken.

After the ban on Ghazipur landfill site, garbage generated in East Delhi will now be dumped at Ranikhera on Delhi-Haryana border, an EDMC official said. After meeting the L-G, Mr Kejriwal said, “No fresh garbage will be dumped at Ghazipur and Bhalswa landfill sites. It will now be dumped at new sites identified in east and north Delhi.”

Claiming that garbage disposal in Delhi was being done in an “ancient” manner, Mr Kejriwal said compactors will be procured and waste to energy plants will be set up for scientific solid waste management. “It may take a few months. Till then fresh garbage will be disposed of at the newly identified sites in east and north Delhi,” he said.

The chief minister said that he has suggested the L-G to hire experts who can give ideas about ways to clear the mountains of garbage and Ghazipur and Bhalaswa landfills.

Earlier, in a meeting with the L-G, National Highways Authority (NHAI) officials said the mountain of garbage at Ghazipur site will be cleared within two years. “NHAI assured the L-G that it will begin the process of lifting, segregating and processing of the solid waste by November 2017, for its use in road construction,” a statement from L-G house said. The process has been fast-tracked and the entire landfill site would be cleared within two years, it said. 

Mr Baijal also directed that traffic be diverted on the road adjoining the landfill for proper vehicular movement. Expressing his condolences to the families of the two people who lost their lives, the Mr Baijal asked all agencies to be fully prepared to deal with such exigencies and to coordinate so that such unfortunate incidents do not recur.