24 May,2017 07:18 PM IST | Mumbai | Laxman Singh
After appointing the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) to tighten security in and around the Deonar dumpyard, the BMC is planning to install mobile high-mast lights to survey the area
The high-mast lights will be active from 6 pm to 6 am to keep watch on ragpickers or garbage mafia entering the dumping ground. Imaging: Uday Mohite
Mumbai's civic body appears to be dead serious about wiping away anti-social elements from the city's largest dumping ground. After appointing the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) to tighten security in and around the Deonar dumpyard, the BMC is planning to install mobile high-mast lights to survey the area. Eight such lights will be stationed at specific spots to check for illegal activity inside the ground.
Also Read: Maharashtra Security Force will guard Deonar dumping ground
The move comes close on the heels of a massive fire at the dumpyard last year, which caused a drastic rise in pollution levels and severely inconvenienced locals in the area. According to civic officials, the garbage mafia, which was trying to extract metals at the dumpyard, had triggered the fire.
The proposal for hiring the eight mobile high-mast lights will be tabled before the Standing Committee meeting on Friday for approval. The civic body will be shelling out Rs 94.26 lakh every year to deploy the mobile high-mast lights.
Also Read: Mulund, Deonar, Kanjurmarg dumping grounds at bursting points
Confirming the development, an official from the solid waste management (SWM) said, "The high-mast lights will be active from 6 pm to 6 am to keep watch on ragpickers or garbage mafia entering the dumping ground. The dumping ground is spread across a vast area so one can't deploy security guards at all locations. The mobile high-mast light will come in handy during random checks at the dumping ground."
In the last one year, the civic body has introduced a host of measures to plug trespassing. Apart from hiring the MSF, the BMC has also constructed a boundary wall along the dumping ground.
The Deonar dumping ground is spread across 135 hectares and has been in operation for the last year 90 years. Of the total waste 9,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily, the BMC dumps around 3,000 metric tonnes in Deonar.
