Mon Sep 15 20:28:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
**Headline: Union Minister Khattar Vows to Clear Bhalaswa Landfill in One Year, Urges National Adoption of Legacy Dumpsites**
**NEW DELHI, September 16, 2025** – Union Urban Affairs Minister M.L. Khattar has announced an ambitious plan to clear the notorious Bhalaswa landfill site in Delhi within a year, starting September 17, 2025. The announcement was made at a press conference in the capital, where Khattar urged citizens and political leaders nationwide to adopt similar legacy dumpsites and collaborate with urban local bodies to remediate them for more productive land use.
“We will start from Bhalaswa and clean it in one year. Work on the other landfill sites in Delhi will also be taken up”, said Khattar.
Legacy dumpsites, characterized as outdated and unscientifically managed landfills filled with decades of untreated waste, pose significant environmental and health risks. Minister Khattar also stated that he sought land from the Delhi Development Authority to shift the Bhalaswa dumpsite.
The initiative coincides with the launch of the 15-day Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign, a nationwide sanitation and cleanliness drive running from September 17 to October 2, 2025. The success of the Bhalaswa project, according to Khattar, hinges on inter-agency collaboration, land availability, efficient waste processing, and uninterrupted project execution. He acknowledged past missed deadlines for landfill cleanup due to factors like weather, protests, and logistical issues but asserted that this new plan would be backed by clear targets and accountability.
The initiative will also extend to Delhi’s other two landfill sites of Ghazipur and Okhla, where clearance work is already underway.
Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil emphasized the importance of waste management for water security, stating, “We are making every possible effort to divert water quickly to states facing shortages, and our farmers will prosper, and people’s drinking-water problems will be solved.”
The Swachhata Hi Seva 2025 campaign aims to foster a “garbage-free India” through mass voluntary participation, aligning with the government’s ongoing commitment to sanitation and environmental protection.
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