Societies get 3 months to sort out waste-line

Mumbai: Bowing under pressure from its corporators, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has extended its deadline of not collecting unsorted garbage from housing societies by three months. The BMC had set October 2 as the deadline for all housing societies to segregate their garbage (dry and wet waste) and treat it in their premises.

In the group leaders’ meeting, civic chief Ajoy Mehta said that an extension would be given to housing societies. This will enable societies to carry out garbage processing in their premises within three months. However, societies will have to write to the BMC seeking permission for an extension. 

Social activists have blamed the BMC corporators for not raising awareness about waste segregation. “Corporators too are equally responsible for the mess. Instead of pointing fingers at officials, they should also come up with solutions for waste management,” said Godfrey Pimenta from the Watchdog Foundation.

The angry corporators had threatened to dump garbage outside the ward offices if the BMC went ahead with its plans of not collecting unsorted waste from housing societies. They slammed the civic administration saying it was being implemented without the BMC taking them into confidence and making elaborate arrangements for waste segregation.

Opposition leader Ravi Raja from Congress said, “The circular issued by BMC says that it will neither collect the garbage nor provide the machinery or manpower to dispose the waste. It is not possible for housing societies to carry out scientific disposal of garbage. It will lead to unhygienic conditions everywhere.”

BJP group leader Manoj Kotak said, “While citizens have started segregating garbage, the BMC is using same old formula of dumping it at the dump site. No efforts have been taken by the civic body to ensure scientific disposal of garbage.”