Mumbai: When CM saw the problem flagged by mid-day and ordered remedy

Pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Days after mid-day ran a mini-series on the rampant garbage problem in the city, and despite a BMC helpline to report garbage issues, the city's streets remain as filthy as ever. On Friday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde experienced this first-hand after attending an event. According to a statement issued by the CM, he then called civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal and expressed his displeasure in strong terms.

After hearing from the chief minister, Chahal called a meeting with all the officials concerned and ordered the assistant commissioners of all wards and the deputy municipal commissioners of all zones to review the action taken against dumping from Saturday.

The CM had been returning to Mantralaya after the event, which was held at Mazagaon dock, when he saw debris and solid waste on the road. According to Shinde's statement, Chahal was asked to ensure the roads as well as narrow lanes are clean not only in Mazagaon but all over the city. The civic chief was also told to prepare a system to keep the city clean.

"The civic chief assured me that action will be taken against the officials concerned with regard to the unsanitary conditions around Mazagaon dock. Also, in the next seven days, the BMC will clean the city and beaches," Shinde's statement read.

A trash pile at Dadar market on August 28. Pic/Aishwarya Deodhar

Based on the chief minister's suggestions, the BMC started a helpline for citizens to register waste-related complaints on June 7. But it seems the situation has not changed. According to the civic data, the BMC received a total of 6,366 complaints about solid waste and debris till August 31. Of these, 4,646 complaints were related to solid waste. The civic body claims only two of these remain to be addressed.

mid-day highlighted the issue of solid waste in a series from August 16 to 18, highlighting the various public places where solid waste is discarded. Jitendra Gupta, a Kurla-based activist, said, "Several major roads are clean but most internal ones are not. Indore wins the cleanest city title year after year, so there is a proven method for cleaning cities.

Then why is the BMC not adopting it and what are the challenges to implementing it? The municipal corporation also has to offer practical solutions." He added, "If someone calls the civic body to get rid of debris, BMC employees tell them that they will not pick it up from private premises." Meanwhile, the civic chief said action would be taken against the officials concerned. He said Shinde had made various suggestions to ensure garbage is not seen in the city anymore and also said that banners and illegal hoardings must be removed.

At the meeting, Chahal said that joint commissioners, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and all officials concerned from the solid waste management department and engineers should make field visits at least twice a day. If necessary, form a team and ensure that public toilets are regularly cleaned at least twice a day. Strict action will be taken against officials and employees if any irregularities are found, he warned.

6,366
No of complaints that the helpline has received

June 7
Day helpline was launched