Ravindra Waikar, the Standing Committee chairman has said that he has received numerous complaints against them at almost every ward committee meeting. Marshals were appointed to instil some kind of civic sense in citizens. If they are caught littering, they are fined. But citizens say that while the marshals are strict with people on the streets, they are framing doctors and shopkeepers. In some cases, they do it for a commission, but in others, as a bribe. The administration is gung-ho with the success of the drive, but I dont see the effect of the clean-up campaign anywhere, except there has been an increase in the number of complaints, Waikar said.
The modus operandi, according to Waikar, is simple: if doctors are found guilty of disposing their medical waste in the municipal dustbin, they are fined Rs 20,000. The marshals who catch the doctors, get 50 per cent of the fine as commission. If the doctor seeks to settle the issue, the marshal still manages to get a few thousand rupees towards bribe. “I have discussed this issue with the Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak, who has agreed to wind up the drive to end all complaints and harassment by the marshals,” added Waikar.
Dr Ajay Shah, a Pathologist at Dahisar (east), said he was a victim of a similar situation in which he was fined Rs 20,000. “There are five hospitals in my neighbourhood that put waste in that dustbin. But the marshal claimed that the waste was from my laboratory. I told them I am registered with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to whom I pay monthly charges for collection and disposal of bio-medical waste from my laboratory and explained that I need not throw waste in the civic bin. But they refused to budge and said that they would splash my photographs in newspapers if I did not pay. I was scared and offered them a cheque, but they demanded cash. I was forced to borrow Rs 20,000 from my neighbour to pay them,” said Dr Shah.
Another pathologist Dr Harshad Jariwala from Borivli found that somebody had thrown syringes into his compound. “I suspect it was the clean-up marshals who would have later come asking for money,” Jariwala said.
Umesh Worlikar, secretary of Dahisar Medical Association, claimed that they had received several complaints from local doctors who said they were being framed by the marshals. Around 300 clean-up marshals work in 24 civic wards. “They collect an average of Rs 25 lakh in fines every month and have collected Rs 3 cr last year,” sources said.
Shiv Sena corporator Rahul Shevale said BMC should reinstate its nuisance detectors to collect fines. “We received reports of abuse and manhandling by marshals. We will raise the issue in the corporation and ensure clean-up campaign is stopped,” said Shevale.
Shubhada Gudekar, a corporator from Kandivli, was so fed up with the complaints from her ward that she organised a meeting between the Indian Medical Association members and BMC officials to tackle the menace.
Ahmad Karim, Chief Engineer of the BMC’s Solid Waste Management department, said that they have a one-year contract with the clean-up marshals and cannot call it off mid-way.
Phatak said he did not have a discussion with Waikar, but would discuss it with concerned authorities.