North Delhi civic body transforming ‘dhalao’ sites into libraries, book banks

New Delhi: As part of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ initiative, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has been converting many of its ‘dhalaos’ or dumpsites into libraries and book banks, officials have said.

The NDMC has taken many other innovative steps such as beautification of compactors under the cleanliness initiative. It is being done to motivate citizens, especially the young generation, to manage their waste sensibly.

At Sector-3 of Rohini Zone, a dumpsite has been converted into an English language coaching centre for poor children. People can also donate books there to help the needy students, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Officials said the ‘dhalaos’ which have been closed are being converted into vibrant spaces such as libraries and book banks to promote education, especially for the underprivileged.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has waste compactors at 76 locations.

The civic body said that it has taken the initiative of beautifying compactors by converting them into ‘compactor vatika’.

It would be like a mini-garden with grass and flower plants, motivational slogans painted on boards and also selfie-points to encourage citizens get involved in waste management, the NDMC said.