The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has begun clearing accumulated garbage along railway stretches in the Capital after a Centre-led review identified dumping at 125 locations covering 18.93 km of railway land. The MCD’s South-East Zone is carrying out the cleanliness drive under directions to address waste accumulation on land adjoining railway tracks.
The operation is focused on removing legacy waste and clearing garbage from areas beside railway stretches. The civic body’s stated objective is to improve sanitation and prevent further accumulation at the affected sites.
The drive follows concerns raised by the Railway Board over large-scale dumping on railway land in Delhi. The issue was reviewed under the Centre’s Special Campaign 6.0, which brought together central government departments, the railway administration and civic agencies.
At the review meeting, the Union Home Secretary directed the MCD to identify the affected railway stretches, document dumping hotspots and prepare an action plan within 15 days. The directive places responsibility on the civic body to create a location-wise assessment before planning further action across the identified areas.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Railway Board, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, the MCD and the New Delhi Municipal Council. The participation of multiple agencies reflects the administrative overlap involved in dealing with waste on or beside railway land, where railway authorities and municipal bodies have different responsibilities.
The MCD’s current effort is therefore not limited to routine roadside sweeping. It involves identifying legacy waste along railway stretches and recording locations where dumping has taken place. The available report does not specify the total quantity of waste removed, the number of sites covered in the initial operation or the deadline for completing the clearance work.
The 125 identified locations represent a concentrated sanitation challenge spread across nearly 19 km of railway land. Garbage accumulation beside tracks can affect the condition of surrounding areas and create recurring management requirements if waste continues to be deposited after clean-up operations. The Centre’s direction specifically requires hotspot documentation and an action plan, indicating that the immediate clearance drive is being paired with a broader assessment of the problem.
The initiative also highlights the difficulty of managing public land that intersects with the city’s transport infrastructure. Railway corridors run through densely occupied urban areas, while adjoining land may be exposed to dumping from surrounding neighbourhoods and activities. In this case, the review has brought the issue into a coordinated administrative process involving the Union government, railway authorities and Delhi’s civic agencies.
The next formal step is the preparation of the MCD’s action plan within the 15-day period set at the review meeting. The plan is expected to be based on the identified stretches and documented dumping hotspots. Further details on the clearance schedule, agency responsibilities and measures to prevent fresh dumping were not provided in the report.
