‘Clean Sobo Doesn’t Mean Clean Mumbai’: Bombay HC Raps BMC On Waste Management

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday verbally remarked that merely because some parts of south Mumbai were clean, it did not mean that steps for better sanitation had been taken across the city.

A bench of Justices Girish S Kulkarni and Neela K Gokhale made the remarks while hearing a petition that raised concerns about waste disposal at the landfill in Kanjurmarg, as well as about the dumping of garbage on streets and beaches.

‘No Improvement Seen’

Justice Kulkarni said that ensuring cleanliness in all wards was the responsibility of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, but that the court was not seeing any improvement in the situation, Live Law reported. To this, lawyer Anil Sakhare, representing the civic body, said that the BMC was regularly monitoring cleanliness across the city.

However, Justice Kulkarni remarked: “Only because Worli, Nariman Point or South Bombay is clean doesn't mean entire Mumbai is clean... We are concerned with the lives of the citizens, their health, their hygiene etc.”

The court said that since it had already widened the scope of the current petition, it would now monitor health and hygiene in all wards.

More Effective Steps Needed: HC

The judges further remarked that it had been merely a week that Gandhi Jayanti was marked on October 2, and noted that it was also a day to observe the swachhata abhiyan, or cleanliness drive, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Live Law reported.

“On Oct 2, it is Gandhi Jayanti and also it is the beginning of Swachhata Abhiyan, which was announced in 2014 by the Prime Minister…” Justice Kulkarni remarked. “Therefore more effective steps need to be undertaken considering this scheme of the Central Govt... What has the BMC done on this day?”