Mumbai: Aaditya flays BMC for garbage pile-up

Aaditya has said there are several spots where garbage has been piling up for days. File pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Former minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday shot off a letter to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal regarding the mismanagement of solid waste in the city, citing an increase in the heaps of garbage. BMC officials, meanwhile, said they had decided to conduct a city-wide clean-up drive with people's participation on Sunday.

"For the past three months, many citizens across Mumbai have complained that garbage heaps are increasingly getting bigger and that the BMC has not been regular in collecting the garbage even from designated locations across the city," Aaditya wrote.

Aaditya Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT)

Further, he questioned the civic commissioner on whom the citizens are to approach in the absence of elected representatives for over a year, and the absence of 15 ward officers (assistant commissioners) in the city. "Complaints on social media get copy-pasted answers but we see no work happening on the ground. What is the real reason that garbage heaps are not being picked up in the city on time, across all wards," Aaditya questioned civic authority.

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He asked the civic officials to "get into action more" for the benefit of citizens, "just like the current BMC works for builders and contractor friends of the illegal state government."

mid-day has highlighted the issue of solid waste management in the city, especially with regard to specific spots. Even Chief Minister Eknath Shinde slammed the BMC over mismanagement on September 1. Civic officials then started a drive to clean the city. The special clean-up drive on Sunday will be held as per instructions of the Union housing ministry.