New Delhi, September 22:

A top Dutch diplomat in New Delhi has come under fire from the Indian foreign ministry after he reportedly labelled the capital as “miserable” and a “garbage dump”, a report said today.

Arnold Parzer, agriculture counsellor at the Royal Netherlands Embassy, also reportedly told the Dutch daily Het Financieele Dagblad that New Delhi residents were a “darn nuisance”, the Hindustan Times reported.

“Anything that can go wrong, does go wrong; everyone interferes with everyone else; the people are a darn nuisance; the climate is hell; the city is a garbage dump,” Parzer reportedly told the daily.

“New Delhi is the most miserable place I have ever lived in,” the diplomat was quoted as saying.

The Hindustan Times said India’s foreign ministry had summoned Dutch ambassador Eric Neihe, who in turn had “taken the officer to task.”

The Dutch embassy declined to confirm if New Delhi had expressed its displeasure over the inciden. “The statement does not reflect the opinion of the Netherlands government,” said embassy press officer JH Schutte.