Delhi: NDMC to conduct cleanliness drive till May 9

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will launch a “mega cleanliness drive” from Monday with “shramdan” (voluntary labour) from all departments across its 14 sanitation circles. It will be a one hour daily drive from 8am to 9am, and the general public can also participate in it, NDMC said in a statement on Sunday.

The cleanliness drive will run till May 9.

“This is not just a campaign; it is a citywide transformation effort. The contribution of every employee and citizen counts. With all employees giving just one hour a day, and with the active support of our nodal officers, the change will be visible,” said NDMC chairman Keshav Chandra.

An NDMC official said that this is the first time every NDMC employee will be engaged in a one-hour cleanliness effort before beginning regular office duties. “The 14 heads of departments (HODs) have been designated as nodal officers, each responsible for one sanitation circle, to ensure efficient execution and accountability. These officers will coordinate all field activities, supervise staff deployment, monitor sanitation efforts, and ensure daily reporting and compliance in the field,” the official said.

The official added that NDMC has arranged a comprehensive supply of sanitation and awareness materials to support the drive, including 1,400 brooms for ground-level cleaning, 600kg of garbage bags for waste collection and disposal, 5,000 gloves, 5,000 caps and ID badges for volunteers and 200 banners and 200 placards for awareness and visibility.

“Scope of cleanliness activities under ‘shramdan’, including daily drive will focus on removal of garbage and malba (debris), repair and maintenance of footpaths, cleaning of parks, underpasses, schools, cleaning stormwater and roadside drains, and repainting walls, medians, and boundary structures for improved aesthetics of New Delhi,” the official said.

NDMC in a statement said that it will crack down on unauthorised vendors, use of single-use plastic, public littering and Illegal hoardings during the drive. The council in an order has designated employees for different circles for the drive between May 5 and May 9.