Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday visited the Okhla landfill site to review the process for its step-by-step closure and remediation.

He was accompanied by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Commissioner Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel as well as a team of experts from IIT.

Savita Bhandari, former Chief Architect, Delhi Development Authority; and SDMC Engineer-in-Chief Umesh Sachdeva were also present at the site.

“The L-G appreciated the role of the SDMC and the IIT team in formulating an action plan for redevelopment of the site by developing an engineered landfill site in place of the saturated and non-functional site; commissioning a construction-and-demolition recycling plant; and developing an aesthetic landscaped garden to make it a landmark of south Delhi in the near future,” the civic body said in a statement.

‘Ensure timely completion’

Mr. Baijal also stressed upon the need to transform the closed landfill site into a new environment-friendly and useful complex, the statement said.

He further asked the agencies concerned to take care of safety aspects and timely completion of the project.

“The SDMC Commissioner assured the L-G that the municipal corporation will develop the site into a ‘soothing’ project in a short span of time. He further stated that the landfill site, which was started in 1996 over 40 acres of land, has now attained its maximum height of about 165 feet. It has reached the saturation point,” the statement read.

Keeping in mind the fire incidents at the Ghazipur landfill site, the SDMC planned the remediation of the Okhla landfill site by utilising the resources available there, and developing the place as a beautiful green site, the statement said.

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