Sachin Tendulkar bats for Deonar slum dwellers

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar held a meeting with senior officials from Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC), including Municipal Commisioner Ajoy Mehta, Apanalaya and Pyxera Global to find long-term solutions to the problems related to health and lack of basic amenities being faced by slum dwellers.

Sachin Tendulkar

The meeting took place after Sachin wrote a letter to the BMC in March regarding the problems faced by slum dwellers residing near the Deonar dumping ground.

The letter was written following an incident of fire in Deonar dumping ground. Apanalaya is an NGO founded by Tendulkar's mother-in-law Anabelle Mehta, and works with communities and their development issues in and around Deonar and Shivaji Nagar.

According to sources, in the meeting, they discussed solution framework proposed by Pyxera Global. They also suggested an approach whereby ragpickers need to be re-designated as ‘waste processors' for the challenging work they do under dire circumstances.

Tendulkar has also reportedly said in the meeting that Mumbai among all metropolitan cities should take the lead in resolving the garbage-dumping problem. He has expressed his full support to this cause as the Swachh Bharat ambassador.