On Thursday, the Bombay High Court instructed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide the names of ward officers and field officers accountable for maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in the city. This directive comes in response to ongoing concerns regarding garbage accumulation on public streets and in open spaces throughout Mumbai. The court emphasized the need for accountability in addressing these sanitation issues, highlighting the importance of responsible governance in urban management.
The moment we get a complaint, we’ll hold the particular officer responsible and ensure he is not there in public service,’’ said Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale while hearing a petition by Kannamwar Nagar CHS regarding odour from Kanjurmarg dumping ground. The judges said “ward officers are not functioning properly. Referring to a photograph, Justice Kulkarni told senior advocate Anil Sakhare, for BMC, “This is Dadar. The judges said it appears that BMC’s assurances “were paper assurances. “There is no alternative but to direct the municipal commissioner to put the house in order and fix accountability” on officers who are not taking action to prevent dumping of waste on public streets. Adjourning the hearing to Oct 7, the judges said BMC must issue “public sensitive” advertisements in newspapers and TV and also encourage social influencers to give messages to citizens not to throw garbage on public streets. “A sense of belonging of citizens needs to be inculcated,’’ said Justice Gokhale.
“Enough is enough. In recent hearings, HC flagged total non-compliance by BMC in clearing trash, waste, litter on public streets. We’ll provide you with entire Mumbai (photographs), if your commissioner is not aware about it. They directed an SOP to be placed at the next hearing.