Delhi expects 70 mechanical road sweepers on streets by October-November

Seventy large mechanical road sweepers are expected on Delhi’s roads by October-November, more than three-and-a-half years after the city first announced its mechanised cleaning plan.

A company has been selected through a tender and issued a work order for the first batch, which will be run by a private operator along with its staff. The MCD will implement the programme, while the Delhi government will fund it. Officials expect this component to cost about ₹900 crore over 10 years.

The broader plan also includes 30 smaller sweepers and 250 water-sprinkler machines fitted with anti-smog guns, intended to settle dust particles. Those proposals are still awaiting Delhi Cabinet approval.

Separately, the Cabinet has approved a plan for 1,000 litter pickers—large vacuum-style machines that use flexible pipes to collect roadside waste. That contract is being finalised and is expected to cost about ₹1,400 crore over 10 years.

The project was first announced in January 2023 and has been delayed by funding arrangements, changes to its design and pending MCD approvals. The eventual combined cost is expected to exceed ₹2,500 crore, though a fresh Cabinet decision will determine the final figure.