‘South Mumbai clean doesn’t mean entire city is clean’: Bombay HC questions BMC over Mumbai’s garbage woes

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over waste management and cleanliness in Mumbai, observing that the city could not be considered clean merely because some parts of South Mumbai were well maintained.“Everywhere there is filth… Only because Worli is clean or South Mumbai is clean, or Nariman Point is clean, that doesn’t mean entire Mumbai is clean,” a bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale said orally.The bench was hearing a petition filed by residents of Kannamwar Nagar over the Kanjurmarg waste management facility and concerns about its impact on the health of residents in nearby areas.BMC senior advocate Anil Sakhare submitted that the situation had improved. The HC, however, said it did not find “very high progress” by BMC ward officers in addressing problematic areas concerning health and hygiene at public places, hill slopes, pavements and streets.The court directed the BMC to file a comprehensive affidavit detailing the steps taken by ward officers to ascertain the “correct position” on the ground and the measures undertaken on Gandhi Jayanti as part of the Swachhata Abhiyan. The bench also warned that ward officers could be called to court to explain the situation.The judges said they had noticed a heap of plastic near a municipal school in Jogeshwari. “Can we believe that this is Mumbai? Simple cleaning will take no more than one day. Nothing has happened. It is unbelievable,” Justice Kulkarni said.Residents of Vikhroli and environmental NGO Vanashakti have also raised concerns over rampant dumping of garbage along roadsides and in water bodies.Justice Kulkarni, referring to the role of citizens in keeping the city clean, said people followed rules and refrained from littering when they travelled abroad because there were deterrents and cameras, but “here there is absolutely no worry”.The bench said that once the system was put in place and citizens were sensitised, people would eventually stop throwing garbage on the streets. “We are looking at Mumbai to be converted into that kind of city where people themselves will go and throw everything in the dustbin,” it said.BMC lists measures takenIn its detailed affidavit filed before the HC on Wednesday by Sakhare to show compliance, the BMC said it had held a meeting in August pursuant to earlier court directions to discuss issues relating to the Kanjurmarg facility, compliance with HC directions and measures to ensure effective monitoring.The civic body said mitigation of odour and other forms of pollution at the facility were being monitored by a committee, as reflected in the minutes of the meeting.The BMC also said it had acted on several issues flagged by the HC earlier.It said a compactor located at a heritage site had been shifted out, while the location of a chowki opposite the City Civil Court and the route and parking arrangements for garbage vehicles near the heritage building had also been addressed by shifting the garbage vehicles’ reporting point away from the court.On ward-level garbage collection, the BMC said it had placed on record a ward-level structure for collection.On illegal dumping in public areas, the civic body said it had prepared an action plan, identified garbage-vulnerable points (GVPs), installed CCTV cameras to monitor them and taken action against people found illegally dumping or littering, including by imposing fines under BMC bye-laws.The BMC also said it had undertaken public-awareness initiatives on responsible garbage disposal, including an appeal by the municipal commissioner to elected representatives to sensitise citizens on the issue.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in MumbaiStay updated with the latest Mumbai news. Download the TOI App.