24 May,2017 05:59 PM IST | Mumbai | Laxman Singh
A city NGO has an ingenious idea to deter garbage chuckers from targeting railway tracks - heavy penalty. Environment Life has asked railway and BMC authorities to initiate stringent action against housing societies/residents dumping garbage on track
Garbage heaps along tracks between CST and Masjid station
A city NGO has an ingenious idea to deter garbage chuckers from targeting railway tracks - heavy penalty. Environment Life has asked railway and BMC authorities to initiate stringent action against housing societies/residents dumping garbage on tracks.
Dharmesh Barai, head coordinator of Environment Life, said, "Only if the Railways and the BMC jointly take action, can there be a positive outcome. Else, people residing near tracks will continue to throw garbage on them."
He said often, people living near tracks are responsible for a majority of the garbage. "The authorities should issue notices against such offenders. The BMC should take action against them."
Garbage is strewn along the length of tracks of Central and Harbour lines in Masjid, Sandhurst Road, Sion, Kurla, Chunnabhatti and Mankhurd. A large number of slums and residential buildings abut these tracks. Waste pile-ups can caused flooding of tracks, leading to train service delays.
Barai suggested a major cleanliness drive on the lines of the Versova beach clean-up, which collected around 5 million kg of waste in 85 weeks. He recommended collaboration with corporate houses and NGOs in cleaning up tracks.
Barai had raised the issue last month with top railway officials, including minister Suresh Prabhu, and the Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan team via social media. But, he got only a one-line reply from railway officials that tracks are cleaned in phases. The Railways recently began track clean-up as part of its monsoon preparedness.
Narendra Patil, chief PRO of Central Railway, said clean-up marshals are being hired to keep tracks clean.
The last major effort to clean tracks was made during the tenure of former GMâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088of Central Railway, BB Modgil, 10 years ago.
Green tribunal wanted Rs 5,000 fine
Environment Life isn't the first to recommend strict action. The National Green Tribunal had in July 2016 directed the Railways to "strictly" impose a fine of R5,000 on those throwing waste on tracks and act against them effectively.
