A month after NGT mandated restoration of JLN Stadium post Diljit Dosanjh’s concert, the DPCC inspected and found it clean. The report highlighted the organizers’ duty to maintain cleanliness during events, and affirmed that the stadium had no litter. Issues from the concert, attended by 70,000, were addressed, and cleanliness was confirmed on December 19.
New Delhi: A month after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the immediate restoration of the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium following singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has inspected the venue and declared it clean.
The DPCC’s report, presented to the NGT, emphasized that maintaining the stadium’s cleanliness during non-sporting events was the responsibility of the organizers.
“The Diljit Dosanjh concert was held on October 26 and 27, 2024, inside the main JLN Stadium, and several armoured decks were used to cover the football ground for the public to stand on so that the ground condition was not hampered,”
– the report stated.
Following the NGT’s directive on November 19, 2024, the DPCC conducted a thorough inspection of the stadium on December 19. The tribunal’s order had come after a news report highlighted the litter left behind, including broken glass bottles, beer cans, plastic wrappers, and other trash. The situation reportedly rendered the stadium grounds unusable, with athletes attempting to clean the mess in vain due to its scale.
In its latest report, dated December 27, the DPCC noted,
“Cleanliness was observed throughout the stadium premises. No garbage or waste was dumped on the ground, spectator seats, gates, or roads. All public entry and exit points were also found clean.”
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The inspection revealed that the JLN Stadium is equipped with dustbins placed at regular intervals, which were also clean. A waste collection room within the stadium serves as a central point where all waste from dustbins is stored before being removed weekly by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) trucks, as informed by Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials.
SAI officials clarified that only the inner ground and running tracks were closed to athletes during the concert. However, the outer ground and tracks remained accessible as public entry was restricted in those areas.
Addressing the NGT’s query on the use of stadia for non-sporting events, the DPCC cited SAI’s terms and conditions.
“During the booking period, cleaning and scavenging of the booked areas are the responsibility of the organizer. These areas must be handed over to SAI in a neat and clean state post-event,”
– the report stated.
If the premises are found unclean within 24 hours after an event, SAI reserves the right to clean the complex using an external agency, deducting the cost from the organizer’s security deposit.
Diljit Dosanjh’s concert, which drew a crowd of approximately 70,000 attendees, initially left running tracks littered with trash. However, with the DPCC’s oversight and adherence to SAI’s guidelines, the stadium has now been restored to its original condition.
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