New welfare measures for workers

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday, in a series of welfare measures for labourers and their families, announced a mandatory midday break from noon to 3pm in summer, installation of 3,000 water kiosks near construction sites, and free yearly health check-ups, on the occasion of International Workers' Day (Labour Day).

- Alok KN Mishra

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched an intensive 20-day citywide cleanliness drive, declaring that Delhi will witness a "visible transformation" beginning Friday, with officers to be held personally accountable for cleaning every street, park, footpath, and public space.

Unveiling the campaign, Gupta said officers across civic and administrative agencies — from district magistrates to deputy commissioners and police officials — have been assigned specific zones. They will be responsible for daily on-site inspections, and any lapses in cleanliness, safety, or encroachment will attract accountability.

"Beginning tomorrow, a citywide, comprehensive sanitation campaign will be rolled out systematically and intensively. Any lapse in cleanliness, safety, or unauthorised encroachment will lead to direct accountability of the concerned officer. Street lights and CCTV cameras will be activated in all areas, and the full administrative machinery will work in unison to give Delhiites a cleaner and safer city within 20 days," said Gupta.

The move comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured the mayoral post, giving it control over all three layers of power in the Capital — the Centre via the LG, the Delhi government, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Gupta said the BJP's "triple-engine" government will break years of stagnation and deliver rapid change. "We will realise PM Narendra Modi's dream of a Swachh Bharat by transforming Delhi into a clean, green, and aesthetically pleasing city."