Mumbai: ‘BMC can’t keep its own premises clean’

The pile of garbage on Wednesday in front of the BMC dispensary and ground blocks half the road and entrance to the latter

Even as it executes a special city-wide cleanliness drive at the instruction of the chief minister, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) just can't seem to get it right in the case of its own ground in Sakinaka, where the entry is blocked by a stinking pile of garbage. Residents claim that the garbage is being dumped by hawkers and that the BMC or police remain inactive despite repeated complaints.

"The BMC is so helpless and inefficient that they cannot keep the entrance of their own premises clean. Half the road's width is covered in garbage and blocks vehicular and pedestrian movement. The garbage rots there for several days and raises a stink. The garbage is being dumped by hawkers encroaching on MHADA footpaths and roads," said Captain Sukhjit Singh Atwal, a resident of Sakinaka.

"The BMC claimed that they keep the city clean, but we don't notice any change in our vicinity. A vehicle clears the garbage once a day or once every two days. But why should the garbage pile up in the first place? That too in front of the main gate of a ground that BMC spent lakhs to develop? What is the use of a 1.27 lakh square feet open space if children, the elderly and other citizens cannot access it?" said Mandeep Singh Makkar, founder, Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA).

After Chief Minister Eknath Shinde raised the issue of garbage piling at various locations in Mumbai on September 1, the BMC rolled out a special campaign in the first week of the month to get rid of the piles and keep the city clean. In a statement, the BMC had assured clean spaces through initiatives including daily visits for two hours by ward officers and deputy municipal commissioners (DMC) in their zones. Additional Commissioner Sudhakar Shinde visits a few spots at night to check the state of the cleanliness drive. Yet, several spots continue to remain unclean. The spot in front of the BMC's dispensary and the adjacent civic ground in Sakinaka is one such place.

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"We are trying to keep the Kurla area clean. Sometimes hawkers and slum dwellers throw garbage just after we clear it. We will look into this particular spot," said Dhanaji Herlekar, assistant commissioner of L ward, which comprises Kurla and parts of Chembur.

5.7 MT junk cleared: BMC

The BMC has claimed that its solid waste department has collected and transported 5,786 metric tonnes of garbage, comprising 1,603 metric tonnes of garbage and 4,183 metric tonnes of debris in September under the special cleanliness drive initiated at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's instructions. A total of 449 additional workers, including 429 people from NGOs and 20 contract workers, have been appointed along with the regular BMC workers. Additional 181 units of machinery, including 39 JCBs, 66 dumpers and 76 small closed vehicles (SCVs) have also been deployed as part of the campaign, the BMC said.

5,786
Metric tonnes of garbage BMC says it has cleared