Ghatkopar dump: Residents’ protest forces BMC to act ………..Sukhada Tatke
Mumbai: Residents of several housing societies Ghatkopar (W) had handed over a portion of their land to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the construction of a road three years ago. Over the years, the BMC not only neglected the work, but also allowed the huge portion to be converted into a garbage dump. On Sunday, the residents of Narayan Nagar and
Milind Nagar in Ghatkopar (W) came out on the street to protest, forcing the civic body to start clearing the area.
Milind Nagar in Ghatkopar (W) came out on the street to protest, forcing the civic body to start clearing the area.
Residents of around six buildings and adjacent bungalows said that the problem started about a year ago when the civic body dumped several garbage tins on the portion that the building had surrendered for the construction of a road. The civic body, they said, constructed a road halfway, and left the remaining work, as there is a slum abutting the road and they couldn’t go ahead with it.
“Not only did they leave the road construction incomplete, but they allowed it to be converted into a garbage dump. The neighbourhood slum uses it to dump garbage. Things are horrible during the rains, and most of the people here have fallen sick,’’ said Ramakant Padwal, retired assistant commissioner of police and resident of the area.
Residents said the stench becomes unbearable and makes it impossible to leave the windows open. “The garbage is only making existing things worse. There is already a gutter in the vicinity from which water flows into our neighbourhood. We have been complaining to the BMC for a very long time but nothing has been done,’’ said Sudeep Salian, who recently recovered from malaria.
On Sunday, even as civic officials came out to get it cleared, residents came out on the streets to make sure the job was done well.
“We had been complaining to the BMC for a long time but nothing was being done about it. Finally, civic officials came and cleared a few tins but while carrying out the clearing, the JCB machine stopped functioning. So the work was left undone,’’ said a resident.
A BMC official from the ‘L’ ward said the civic body would clear the mess soon. “We will get rid of the garbage and the bins next week,’’ said an official.
* TAKING TO THE STREETS: The filth in the area