New Delhi: The stench hits you even before the welfare home for children in Sarita Vihar comes into view. Just outside one of its gates, a garbage dump has spilled onto the road while cattle feed on the waste. An open drain is choked with garbage and the road is riddled with potholes.Those running the home, which has been at this location since 2000, claimed that its residents, orphans who are up to six years old, are unable to play even within the premises because of the insanitary conditions outside.The situation has become the subject of an environmental plea before National Green Tribunal (NGT), which directed Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to conduct a spot verification. The tribunal said if violations are found, environmental damage compensation may be levied on Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).A plea filed by the home claimed garbage and solid waste were being dumped beside its gate, affecting entry to the facility. It also alleged a urinal across the road was unusable because of lack of water, resulting in people defecating in the open — a health hazard. A nearby fish and chicken market was also alleged to be adding to pollution. The staff of the home claimed they wrote to different agencies many times, but no steps have been taken.In a Sept 3 hearing, NGT observed that the application raised a “substantial issue relating to compliance with environmental norms”.TOI visited the spot Tuesday and found the garbage dump spilling onto the road, an open drain choked with waste and pothole-ridden stretches.Sangeeta Bhatia, coordinator of the home, said, “Children cannot be confined inside the walls all the time. We have open areas within the compound for them to play and cycle, but due to the foul smell from the dump, mosquitoes and flies, they can’t step out. We can’t even open the windows.”Elcy Jolly, manager and a nurse at the home, said these unhygienic conditions often lead to infection among children, including breathing issues and cough.Mohinder Singh, founder of the home and an advocate, said CCTV cameras installed outside the home have captured images of waste not being lifted for days. “It appears MCD has turned this place into a transit hub for disposing garbage,” said Singh.Locals also complained about the filth. Ajeet Kumar, who has grown up in the area, said, “We can’t use a park because of the garbage dump.” Another resident, Rakesh Kumar, said the condition becomes worse when it rains. “The road has not been repaired for years and it gets waterlogged,” he said.Responding to the issue, MCD said, “The site is a secondary collection point serving Sarita Vihar. Garbage from there is lifted daily by a concessionaire. Construction of a fixed compactor transfer station (FCTS) at the site is in progress and is scheduled to be operational by Oct 30. Thereafter, systematic and enclosed handling of garbage will be ensured, thereby preventing scattering and accumulation of waste and restricting access of stray animals to the waste.”Holding the corporation accountable for years of civic apathy, NGT in Aug 2025 upheld a Rs 25-lakh fine against it for causing environmental harm for several decades to visually impaired students staying at a home in west Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar. Action was taken and a dhalao run by it was closed.
