Sachin Tendulkar bats for ragpickers’ livelihood

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has demanded that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) revoke its ban on entry of rag pickers at the Deonar dumping ground.

Mr Tendulkar, a former Indian captain and Rajya Sabha MP, on Friday attended a meeting organised by NGO Apnalaya Foundation at M-East ward office on the issue of rag pickers. Civic chief Ajoy Mehta was also present at the meeting.

According to civic officials, while Sachin asked for removal of a ban on rag pickers, he demanded strict action against the dumping mafia. There are about 2000 rag pickers in the area and the prohibition has robbed these poor people of their source of livelihood, he told civic officials.

Following a series of fires, the BMC, as a precautionary measure, has banned entry of outsiders inside the Deonar dump yard. There are allegations that the dumping mafia is stoking up fires at the dumping ground with the help of rag pickers. The Bharat Ratna awardee last month had written a letter to the BMC commissioner requesting for urgent intervention at problems in Shivaji Nagar and several issues plaguing the Deonar dumping ground. He had later also visited the areas affected by the dumping ground problems.

However, civic officials said it would not be possible to accept Sachin’s demand of revoking the ban on rag pickers for the time being. “Since it’s summer, chances of a fire are more at the dumping ground. Maybe during the monsoon, we will think of allowing the rag pickers to enter the dump site. Currently, no outsiders will be allowed inside the dumping ground,” said a civic official.