MBMC’s Stinking Apathy: Bikers at Risk as Rickety Garbage Vans Spill Muck on Roads.

Several two-wheeler riders skid and fell while passing through the Bhoot-Bangla Road in the Anand Nagar area of Dongri in Uttan on Thursday. The reason — a stinking trail of filth and leachate water left behind by rickety garbage collection trucks. Fortunately, the riders escaped with minor injuries and bruises. The fire brigade personnel reached the spot and washed the roads. Such mishaps owing to leachate water is a routine occurrence.

Mira Bhayandar contractor on extension

Already under the scanner for its laxity towards the effective implementation of segregating dry and wet garbage, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has been drawing flak for flouting the solid waste management rules by transporting waste in rickety-uncovered trucks. The MBMC had inked a 5-year contract with a private agency in 2012 to lift garbage from the twin city and ferry it to the waste processing unit in Uttan near Bhayandar. While the agency has been on-extension mode since the expiry of the tender in 2017, the actual groundwork is being done by local subcontractors who claim to have deployed 79 compactor vehicles.

Unsatisfactory work done by the Contractor

However, thanks to a blind eye turned towards regular service and maintenance by the contractors most of the vehicles are in sorry condition, crying for repairs for the past couple of years. Moreover, some vehicles are plying sans valid fitness certificates proving to be killers on road. Despite several attempts, deputy civic chief- Ravi Pawar did not respond to phone calls. On the other hand the MBMC boasts of setting up its own fleet with plans of purchasing 117 vehicles including 33 refuse compactors and 84 covered trucks of various capacities. This is apart from 32 mini bell garbage vans (ghanta-gaadi) for efficient disposal of garbage and door-to-door waste collection. Apart from 8 to 10 tonnes of industrial and biomedical waste, the twin city generates around 500 metric tonnes of garbage every day.