New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said the Bhalswa landfill will be cleared by March 2026 and asserted that no new “mountain of garbage” would be created in the future in the national capital.

The minister said that 35 per cent of waste has already been cleared at the landfill and thanked Lt Governor VK Saxena for his “efforts in clearing Delhi of all three mountains of garbage at Bhalswa, Okhla, and Ghazipur.”

“The Bhalswa landfill was once a 70-acre mountain of garbage. Since the LG has started work on this project, nearly 35 per cent of the waste has been removed. “Of the 70 acres, 25-acre land has been reclaimed, and today, we have planted 2,000 bamboo saplings on five acres of reclaimed land,” Sirsa told PTI during a bamboo plantation drive here.

According to the minister, the height of the garbage mound at Bhalswa landfill has been reduced to 53 metres, which once was 60 metres. “By December 2025, the waste will be reduced to a point where it will no longer be visible (from a distance). The Bhalswa landfill will be completely cleared by March 2026.

Our biggest goal is to ensure that work continues at all three landfill sites, preventing the formation of new mountains of garbage,” he said. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the importance of keeping Delhi clean by stopping waste accumulation at landfill sites and ensuring efficient waste recycling. About funds for waste management and recycling, Sirsa said the BJP-led government would provide the necessary financial support and materials to complete the project.

In the past, the BJP and the AAP have been at loggerheads over removal of garbage from all the three landfill sites. In March 2023, former chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised that three landfills would be cleared by December 2024.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has set a deadline of April 30 to fill 7,000 potholes on roads across the national capital, according to an official communication.

The directive, issued to senior PWD officials, refers to a presentation made before the Delhi Council of Ministers on February 21 chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. “In this presentation, certain timelines were committed for inviting various tenders and commencement of work. It is, therefore, directed to all concerned officers to ensure adherence to these timelines,” the communication stated. As per the enclosed presentation, potholes are being filled using department maintenance vans.

Additionally, the PWD has identified 20 lakh square meters of road patches requiring repairs. The tender process for these repairs is expected to be completed by March 15, with the target for completion also set for April 30. The alleged poor condition of roads across the national capital was a major issue during the campaigning for the 70-member Delhi Assembly elections.