Mumbai: Hawkers, billboards undermine civic body’s deep cleaning drive

The indiscriminate dumping of garbage was evident at Amrut Nagar in Ghatkopar West on Thursday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Though Mumbaikars believe that roads and footpaths are cleaner than before, they told mid-day they wished the chief minister would visit their areas at least once a week to rid them of the hawker menace. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) kicked off a deep cleaning drive in the city three weeks ago under the supervision of CM Eknath Shinde. Though the corporation selected areas that were already better off than other wards, the issue of hawkers, unauthorised billboards and tangled cables persists. mid-day visited a few spots where deep cleaning took place to see the results. Here is what we saw:

Amrut Nagar, Ghatkopar West

Several illegal hoardings welcoming the chief minister had not been removed around the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue site when mid-day visited the Amrut Nagar junction. Shinde had visited the area on Sunday. On Golibar Road, a community bin was flooded with waste while at the end of Vastad Lahuji Salve Road, another such receptacle was overflowing. Residents told mid-day that the BMC cleans the bin twice a day. They also demanded that solid waste collection be increased. Meanwhile, mid-day also visited plot number 29A/2 which was developed in 2002. The area appeared to be an open plot with a few boundaries. A few cars are parked on the ground. No security guards seemed to be around. On Commander Dattaji Salvi Road, debris was dumped everywhere. The BMC had promised to manage solid waste, clamp down on illegal debris dumping and clean gardens and grounds under its deep-cleaning initiative. Bhaskar Chavan, a Ghatkopar West activist, said the civic body had set up community bins and cleaned them twice a day. "But the population density is high in this area. So, the BMC need to increase the number of times it cleans bins. It must also take strict action against illegal hoardings," he said.

Dharavi

An overflowing community bin in Dharavi. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

According to residents, the proliferation of dust is a problem as road washing doesn't take place regularly. "The BMC cleans community bins here at least thrice during the daytime and once at midnight. But they are always flooded with waste," said Giriraj Shirkhane, a resident. Dharavi is home to residences and microbusinesses. "If the BMC properly manages solid waste properly and deploys vehicles to collect household waste and uses another solid waste collection system for industrial waste, it will help," Shrikhane added. Deelip Gadekar, another resident, said the BMC must wash roads regularly. "Also, it should make a plan for solid waste management as this is a hub of micro and household industries," he added.

Sahar Road, Andheri

Tangled wires on Andheri station to WEH stretch. Pic/Anurag Ahire

The 1.5-km stretch from the east side of the Andheri railway station to the WEH is one of the busiest roads in Andheri. The reconstruction of Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge is taking place on this road. The road and footpaths were mostly clean when mid-day dropped by. However, political billboards were omnipresent and small illegal stalls were seen on footpaths. There was no place for abandoned vehicles on this road but vehicles were parked along the stretch. The ugliest sight was the mesh of cables and wires hanging from buildings. "We wish the CM visited regularly. When he visited recently, all hawkers were removed. There needs to be some effective mechanism to deal with vendors in the area. Otherwise, footpaths will not be available for pedestrians, there will be garbage on roads and the deep cleaning exercise will have no meaning," said Abhijeet Satam, an ex-corporator from Andheri.

Nehru Road, Vile Parle

Hawkers occupy a footpath next to a beautification site on Nehru Road in Vile Parle East on Thursday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

From the east side of Vile Parle railway station to the Western Express Highway (WEH) is a middle-class residential area without any slums. A few bags of garbage were seen on the road, which was relatively clean, on Wednesday afternoon. Vehicles were parked on either side of the narrow road, encumbering motorists. Cars were even parked on the barely two-feet-wide footpaths. Residents said the cleaning drive had made a difference but wanted action against hawkers. "The deep cleaning has to be carried out at regular intervals. The roads were dust-free and encroachers were away when the CM visited. But now, it's back to square one. Hawkers and encroachers have started returning. The BMC sweeps the road regularly and citizens should take care to keep it clean," said Santosh Salgare, a resident.

Ramabai Colony, Ghatkopar East

Illegal banners and posters dot Ramabai Colony in Ghatkopar. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

When mid-day visited Ramabai Colony in Ghatkopar, the spots visited by the chief minister were found to be clean. However, several illegal hoardings and illegal cables were seen everywhere. Locals claimed that the civic body regularly keeps the road clean.

Thakur Complex, Kandivli East

A footpath taken over by hawkers at Thakur Complex, Kandivli. Pic/Anurag Ahire

When mid-day visited the area on Wednesday, the roads were clean; even the ground beneath parked vehicles was neatly swept. An on-duty traffic police van was seen towing two cars from no-parking zones. A municipal van was seen doing rounds and all small vendors were told to leave from footpaths. "This is happening every day now ," said a woman vendor. The biggest eyesore was a huge number of billboards obscuring a BMC-owned plot. The road from the east side of Kandivli station up to the highway towards Thakur Complex was fully occupied by hawkers, despite BMC shooing them every morning.

What is the deep cleaning drive?

The drive was conceptualised by the chief minister who launched it on December 3 at Dharavi. The campaign is to be conducted every Saturday till the end of January 2024. Under the campaign, roads and footpaths are to be made dust-free and action is to be taken against abandoned vehicles and unlicensed billboards. Cleaning of public toilets, maintenance of parks and playgrounds, creating hawker-free zones and debris-free areas and the removal of networks of cables and wires are also on the list. Under the drive, a particular area in a ward is selected for extensive sanitation. All the roads and lanes of the area will be cleaned and washed. The solid waste, transport, sewerage and rainwater drainage departments are providing additional vehicles and machinery.

Working on SOPs for the solid waste management dept: BMC

Sudhakar Shinde, additional municipal commissioner, who is in charge of solid waste management, said, "We have come across various interrelated issues and it's important to tackle them so that we get clean, neat areas. That's why we are working on SOPs for the solid waste management department. They will deal with garbage lifting, the menace of hanging cables and other matters." He added that though the regularisation of hawkers does not come under solid waste management, the SOPs will be applicable at the ward level and are an integrated approach to tackle all issues.