Bombay HC Gives BMC 7 Days to Clear Garbage Near Mumbai’s Heritage Sites, Warns of Action Against Ward Officers
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday voiced sharp concern over garbage accumulation across Mumbai, including around several heritage precincts, stating it had “grave doubt” over whether the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) “Swachh Mumbai, Sundar Mumbai” campaign was being effectively enforced on the ground.
The court ordered the civic body to clear garbage build-up around key heritage sites within seven days, cautioning that ward officers concerned would be held personally responsible if conditions failed to improve.
A Division Bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe was hearing a batch of petitions relating to pollution, foul odour, gas emissions, and health hazards affecting residents living near the Kanjurmarg dumping ground. One of the petitions was filed by the Kannamwar Co-operative Housing Society Association Ltd., represented by advocate Abhijeet Rane.
Court Flags Citywide Waste Mismanagement
The bench did not mince words about the scale of the problem. “To what extent you are achieving this, we have grave doubt. Just take a round of the Western Express Highway and you will find heaps of plastic and garbage lying on the roads. It cannot be left like this,” the court observed.
Referring to the BMC’s own cleanliness slogan, the judges noted that while its intent was evident, it was “being collectively defeated by we citizens and by the inaction on the part of the Municipal machinery.”
The bench underlined that ward-level officials bear direct responsibility for ensuring public roads aren’t turned into informal dumping sites, warning that failure to take effective measures would “defeat such noble intentions” of the civic body.
The court also flagged the monsoon-linked health risks stemming from poor waste management, telling the BMC’s counsel: “Ask your health department about the number and category of patients suffering because of poor hygiene. We are saying this on credible information.”
Heritage Precincts Under Spotlight
The judges reserved particular criticism for how garbage is handled near the city’s heritage landmarks. Pointing to garbage transfer points located outside the Bombay City Civil Court, the Bombay High Court itself, the Institute of Science, Rajabai Tower, and Horniman Circle, the bench remarked that it was “impossible to believe” that garbage-vehicle collection points were being set up so close to sites visited by tourists from around the world, citing the resulting queues of garbage trucks, nuisance, and odour in these high-footfall areas.
“If this be the position qua such significant areas of public importance, as to what is the situation and plight elsewhere in the city is just to be imagined,” the bench observed.
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The court directed that conditions around these heritage locations be improved within a week, warning that failure to comply would prompt it to pass orders “holding the concerned Ward Officer to be responsible.”
BMC Assures Immediate Action
Senior advocate Anil Sakhare, representing the BMC, told the court that “immediate steps” would be taken and that every ward would be actively managed to prevent unauthorised garbage dumping.
The bench also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to ensure strict enforcement of environmental laws, and listed the matter for further hearing on August 12.