Godrej backs drive against debris…..Sukhada Tatke & Namrata Singh
Vikhroli Residents Move BMC,PWD & Cops To Stop Dumping On EE Highway
Vikhroli Residents Move BMC,PWD & Cops To Stop Dumping On EE Highway
Mumbai: Since the past nine months,a large stretch of land abutting the Godrej property along the Eastern Express Highway between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli,is being strewn with dumps of construction waste and debris.The mounting debris especially poses a threat to motorists who suddenly come upon the debris.Sensing that the problem wont go away without their intervention,Vikhroli residents have launched a protest and taken up the matter with the civic authorities as well as the police.
Backing the citizens is Adi Godrej,chairman of the Godrej group,whose headquarters is just off the Eastern Express Highway.Godrej is taking up the matter with the concerned authorities and is keen on a quick solution to the problem.There is considerable illegal dumping of debris along the Eastern Express Highway.We are taking the matter up with the BMC,police and the PWD.An early solution should be found to ensure that this practice does not pollute and defile and cause inconvenience to citizens, Godrej told TOI.
Residents fear that if the illegal activity is not brought under check soon,there could be loss of lives.There are already several accidents along the stretch as many motorists and bikers take the highway route.Matters are worse at night as visibility is low and one is unable see the debris, said Heemanshu Nagda,a resident of the Amaltas Garden Enclave in Vikhroli.
After shooting off letters to the civic body and the traffic police,the residents have themselves started taking turns to monitor the situation.We are out till midnight,after which we tell the security guards to note down the number of trucks which may be illegally dumping at night.We wonder how the activity can go on for such a long time and at such a grand scale, asked Nagda.Another resident voiced his concern on tax-payers money getting wasted each time the BMC carries out cleaning operations after reacting to complaints.
According to Godrej,installation of CCTVs could help curb such activities.I think practices like installing CCTVs and ensuring that wrongful parking by such people to dump debris is prevented by the police,could help solve the problem, Godrej said.
Assistant municipal commissioner SAK Bargir said that there was shortage of staff to monitor the area but the civic body has now chalked out an action plan.
We have asked our cleanup marshals to patrol the eastern express highway at nights as well.We are hiring more of them to do night shifts, he said.
The issue of illegal dumping bring to the fore concerns about how the authorities would go about managing of construction waste across the city.This comes in the wake of Mumbai witnessing large scale construction activity not only on new projects but also a number of old buildings which are coming up for reconstruction.
* HIGHWAY DANGER: The mounds of debris are a hazard to motorists