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.
New Delhi: The stench hits you even before the welfare home for children in Sarita Vihar comes into view.
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. Because of the insanitary conditions outside, 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 lack of water, resulting in people defecating in the open — a health hazard, it also alleged a urinal across the road was unusable. 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.
Sangeeta Bhatia, coordinator of the home, said, “Children cannot be confined inside the walls all the time. 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.
A plea filed by the home claimed garbage and solid waste were being dumped beside its gate, affecting entry to the facility. 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. We can’t even open the windows. Action was taken and a dhalao run by it was closed.