If citizens see a vehicle dumping construction debris illegally in open spaces, they have to just click a picture, send it to the civic authorities and get Rs 1,000 as cash reward
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has taken citizen empowerment to an entirely new level. If citizens see a vehicle dumping construction debris illegally in open spaces, they have to just click a picture, send it to the civic authorities and get Rs 1,000 as cash reward.
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Residents of Navi Mumbai have been plagued by debris being dumped on the Sion-Panvel Expressway for a long time now. File pic for representation
Last week, the civic body introduced a toll-free number for calls as well as a WhatsApp number so that residents can send visuals to NMMC which will act as proof against offenders. Civic officials said that the identity of the person sending the pictures would be kept confidential.
Ankush Chavan, additional municipal commissioner, NMMC said, “We have introduced the service just last week and have already received over 10 complaints on the WhatsApp number. The intention behind the reward is to encourage citizens to participate and provide a helping hand to us in curbing illegal activities.”
Empowerment on the ground
A civic official told mid-day that once a person sends visuals of a vehicle dumping debris, a special anti-debris squad of NMMC will make a note of it. “Citizens should click pictures of the vehicle so that we are able to see its registration details, upon which we will get all the details from the respective RTO.
This way it would be easier to trace any vehicle dumping debris illegally. Construction debris usually includes packets of cements, Plaster of Paris and rocks,” said an official. Once the offending vehicle is seized, the person who had sent the picture will be rewarded thereafter.
Meanwhile, NMMC has also increased the penalty from Rs 7,000 to Rs 15,000 now. The offender is supposed to pay the penalty within a week after vehicle seizure. If the offender wants the vehicle to be released on the same day then a fine of Rs 30,000 is levied. Further, if any offender is caught more than once, a penalty of Rs 50,000 has to be paid.
Meanwhile Manohar Shroff, president of the Navi Mumbai unit for Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI), claimed, “Usually the construction debris is dumped by contractors. As far as developers are concerned, they normally reuse such debris for construction purpose.”
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