The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh said that waste disposal should be done properly for which the Municipal corporations will have to play a lead role. He was speaking at the inauguration of the “Waste to Wonder” Park under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) here today.While giving suggestions to the Municipal corporations for waste disposal, the Home Minister said that this park has set an example for others, as for the first time scrap has been used to create ‘Wealth from waste’. The efforts should be made towards behavioural change of the people and proper arrangement should be made for waste disposal, he said. He added that a system should be developed for recycling of waste that can be reused. The products which cannot be recycled should be minimally used. Shri Rajnath Singh said that new ideas should be developed on how waste can be used in an innovative manner as was done by SDMC. He appreciated the dedication of the artists and officials involved in the endeavor who have completed the task of Wonder park in just 6 months.On the occasion, the Union Home Minister paid tributes to the martyrs of Pulwama where CRPF jawans made supreme sacrifice.Shri Rajnath Singh said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Swachh Bharat Mission has become a mass movement that has brought about perceptible changes among the people and resulted in targeted behavioural changes towards cleanliness and hygiene. “We cannot imagine a Smart City without a proper waste disposal and recycling system,” he said.
The Home Minister appreciated that today all municipal bodies are competing among themselves for Swachh Sarvekshan. He lauded SDMC for improving its rank from 202 to 32 in Swachh Sarvekshan, 2018 ranking.Praising the SDMC for several environment friendly initiatives such as the use of solar panels, LED street light project and achieving 100% ODF (Open Defecation Free) target. He called upon all other municipal bodies to adopt the Best Practices for Sustainable Development.The main attractions of the “Seven Wonders Park” are the different sized tall replicas of the Taj Mahal (20 ft.), the Great Pyramid of Giza (18 ft.), the Eiffel Tower (60 ft.), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (25ft.), Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue (25 ft.), Rome’s Colosseum (15 ft.), and New York’s Statute of Liberty (30 ft.). The seven replicas have been made with the scrap of automobile parts and other metal waste like fans, rods, iron sheets, nut- bolts, bicycle & bike parts, defunct sewer lines and age old appliances gathering dust in the 24 Municipal Stores. In all 150 ton scrap/waste has been used.On the occasion, the Home Minister also presented appreciation letters to the artists involved in the establishment of waste to wonder park.The Lt. Governor of Delhi Shri Anil Baijal and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.