The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has started deploying 1,000 mechanical litter pickers across the city’s 250 wards to collect scattered waste from roads and public spaces, while also introducing new waste-collection vehicles and appointing 35 women drivers for sanitation operations.
The first phase began in south-east Delhi, where Chief Minister Rekha Gupta flagged off 50 machines at the fixed compactor transfer station plant in M Block, Sarita Vihar, on Saturday. New vehicles for door-to-door waste collection and transportation were also launched during the event.
The battery-operated machines are designed to collect small pieces of litter from roads and public areas and assist with vacuum cleaning. The MCD said 150 of the 1,000 machines had already arrived, with the wider deployment planned across all 250 municipal wards.
The deployment is part of a broader effort to strengthen Delhi’s solid-waste management system. Gupta said cleanliness and proper waste management remained among the city’s biggest challenges. She said the government was working on a long-term plan intended to prevent waste-management problems for residents over the next 15 to 30 years.
According to figures cited by the Chief Minister, Delhi generates about 15,000 metric tonnes of waste each day, but only 6,000 to 7,000 metric tonnes was previously being processed. The gap, she said, had contributed to the continued growth of waste mountains in the city.
The government is also working towards new waste-to-energy plants, increasing the capacity of existing facilities, establishing e-waste centres and setting up biogas plants to manage cow dung, Gupta said. These measures are intended to address waste processing alongside the collection of litter from streets and public places.
MCD Mayor Pravesh Wahi said the corporation wanted to make solid-waste management more effective, regular and accountable. The civic body’s stated approach combines mechanised street cleaning with changes to collection, transportation and processing infrastructure.
In the south-east zone, the corporation has made available 428 auto-tippers, 128 e-rickshaws, 25 Tata 407 vehicles for door-to-door waste collection, 27 refuse compactors, five additional refuse compactors, 30 hook loaders and 100 compactor bins. The zone has also received 1,500 steel dustbins, 300 high-density polyethylene dustbins and 10 tipper trucks for transporting horticultural waste.
The appointment of 35 women drivers is another component of the initiative. The MCD said their inclusion would increase women’s participation in sanitation-related work while supporting the operation of the new vehicles. The announcement did not specify the locations or shifts assigned to the drivers.
The launch was attended by Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, Deputy Mayor Dr Monika Pant, Standing Committee chairperson Satya Sharma, Leader of the House Jai Bhagwan Yadav, Standing Committee vice-chairperson Satyapal Singh and Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar. The corporation’s next steps are the continued arrival and deployment of the remaining mechanical litter pickers across Delhi’s wards.
