Massive Clean-Up Underway After Protest Ends
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on Sunday continued a large-scale clean-up operation at Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas, a day after the Cockroach Janta Party called off its protest. Officials said that nearly 60 metric tonnes of waste is expected to be cleared from the site and adjoining roads.
Sanitation workers, heavy vehicles, and mechanized cleaning equipment were deployed through the night to restore the area after protesters dispersed on Saturday, following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak controversy.
Deployment of Resources
NDMC officials said that 75 sanitation workers were deployed overnight, with an additional 35 workers on duty since Sunday morning. The civic body deployed eight auto-tippers, two heavy trucks, one excavator, and three pressure jetting machines for the operation. Pressure jetting machines cleaned roads around Jantar Mantar, while mechanical road sweepers and sanitation teams worked across the area.
Clean-up teams focused on Tolstoy Marg, Jantar Mantar, Sansad Marg, Jai Singh Marg, and the Connaught Place area.
Waste Removal Progress
According to NDMC, around 40 metric tonnes of waste was removed by Saturday night, and another 12 metric tonnes had been cleared since Sunday morning. On Friday, the NDMC had removed around 27 metric tonnes of mixed waste from the protest site, up from about 15 metric tonnes a day earlier, including construction debris, stones, and other solid waste.
The sharp increase in waste generation during the protest necessitated a round-the-clock clean-up effort, officials said.
Restoration Work
The clean-up also includes restoration work. Civic teams are repainting walls to erase protest slogans, repairing damaged curbstones and footpaths, and washing public spaces. The NDMC aims to return the site to its pre-protest condition as quickly as possible.
The Cockroach Janta Party had been protesting at Jantar Mantar for several days, demanding action over the NEET paper leak. The protest ended after Pradhan stepped down as education minister, accepting responsibility for the controversy.
