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  Mumbai, a hurdle for Swachh Bharat

Mumbai, a hurdle for Swachh Bharat

Published : May 15, 2016, 1:54 am IST
Updated : May 15, 2016, 1:54 am IST

Even as Maharashtra is trying to become the number one state in Swachh Bharat Mission by competing with other states, Mumbai has become a major obstacle to achieve the target.

File photo for representation only
 File photo for representation only

Even as Maharashtra is trying to become the number one state in Swachh Bharat Mission by competing with other states, Mumbai has become a major obstacle to achieve the target.

The BMC has repeatedly refused to cooperate with authorities of Swachh Bharat Mission that are conducting various fund distribution and monitoring initiatives. The urban development department has blamed BMC officials for not providing adequate information about the status of the city’s cleanliness. The BMC has also been accused of not taking any initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission scheme and also unwilling to act immediately on the Deonar dumping ground.

Maharashtra is currently at number two in the Swachh Bharat Mission scale and is eyeing the first place. The urban development department has made 100 cities open-defecation free and has also encouraged building of toilets at home. But Mumbai has not carried out any work required to clean the city, the officials said.

“We will release our work for Swachh Bharat Mission by the end of this month. But authorities in Mumbai are not coordinating with us and hence it has become difficult to showcase the work done under the Mission in the entire state,” a senior official from the urban development department told The Asian Age on the condition of anonymity.

Another official from the urban development department said that the BMC has failed to keep the city clean and Deonar has become a big embarrassment for the state. The BMC did not take required action after the dump site caught fire repeatedly, endangering the lives of the people. “The city has not been able to implement even small initiatives like segregation of dry and wet garbage. When we compare Mumbai with other international cities, even the basic cleanliness standards are not maintained here. The BMC is also reluctant to initiate simple measures and does not cooperate in Swachh Bharat Mission despite having a huge machinery and network available,” the official said.

Speaking of efforts taken under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the official said that Nagpur Municipal Corporation is working to generate power through garbage. “It has started experimenting with the garbage to generate electricity. Soon, the experiment will be streamlined to use the electricity generated for the city,” the official added.

In a small town Vengurla in Konkan region, the local body has made two-km long road with used plastic bags and wrappers. “The technology was obtained from Bangalore and implemented in Vengurla. The road has better quality and does not develop potholes in monsoon. But we are in the process of testing it before implementing the method in other cities,” the official said. In another small town Kagal in Kolhapur district, human waste has been used for fertilisers, the official added.