A trash heap turns political hot button
The long neglected Ghazipur dumpsite, a source of pollution and misery for people living in its vicinity, is now a key plank for the parties facing off in the Delhi civic elections.
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Editor's note: It’s noon on a Tuesday in the middle of November and as is usual for Delhi at this time of year, the pollution levels are high. The sky is overcast and with the birds hovering overhead, walking into Mulla Colony reminds me of the faux film trailer for The Crows Have Eyes III, from the Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek. Only, this isn’t a show, and it isn’t funny. The colony is adjacent to the Ghazipur dumpsite, one of three non-engineered and unscientific sanitary landfills in the national capital. Swarms of mosquitoes and flies follow me around. My two-and-a-half hour visit to the area is a jarring experience. Mulla Colony’s lanes are festooned with posters for the Aam Aadmi Party, ahead of the 4 December municipal corporation elections. The party, after being in power in the state for nearly nine years, is looking to wrest control of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has held it for the past 15 years. The AAP’s campaign—as well as the BJP’s—has focused on Delhi’s sanitation and waste management …
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