Ragpickers will soon be allowed into the Deonar dumping ground as the BMC is gearing up to authenticate and monitor their access to the site.
Ragpickers will soon be allowed into the Deonar dumping ground as the BMC is gearing up to authenticate and monitor their access to the site.
The civic body will provide the ragpickers radio-frequency identification (RF ID) cards to streamline them, authenticate their identities through police verification and then allow them access to the dump site.
This move is expected to minimise the risk of sabotage within the dumping ground. Presently, entry of close to 3,000 ragpickers registered with the three local NGOs is officially banned in the dumping ground after the frequent fires reported at the ground since January this year.
On Monday, BMC representatives met three prime non-governmental organisations working with Deonar’s ragpickers and finalised the plans to organise a week-long camp for registering them and they will be given identity cards at the end of the camp.
Commenting on the matter, Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of M(east) ward said, “The ragpickers will be given RF ID cards so we can trace their movements within the dumping ground. As no one will be allowed in without the I-cards, if fire starts in any particular area of the dump, ragpickers who have access to that area can be questioned.”
The BMC is expected to collect the personal details of the ragpickers and conduct a biometric verification through the NGOs. Following this police verification will take place.
Jyoti Mhapse, a spokesperson from one of the NGOs involved, Streemukti, said, “This is a welcome move. They have been losing out because of a few miscreants. This way at least some of the ragpickers will be let in.”
