Open plots in Andheri west turn into dumping grounds

It has been months that an open plot along the Captain Suresh Sawant road and Veera Desai Road in Andheri (west) is being used to dump garbage. Despite the action taken by the civic body, people have been openly dumping garbage in the area. Ranjana Patil, BJP corporator from the area too accepted that garbage dumping is prevalent at many places in the ward. "I have been following the matter with local ward office regularly. Once I had visited the plot and also helped in seizing some dumpers. But they again come back," said Patil.

In May this year, the K West ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had taken action and had also served notice under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MR&TP) Act 1966 against the owner of the plot. As per the notice, the owner or occupier of the land did not take permission for garbage or debris dumping, which is required under the MR&TP Act.

The residents of the area are fed up with constant noise pollution due to movement of dumpers loaded with debris making several rounds to the open plot. "First the dumpers brought debris and dumped on the open plot, and then dumpers come to clean the debris after a few days," said Sunil Shah, chairman of Gundecha Symphony along Veera Desai Road.

Residents of Evershine Embassy have been following the problem of illegal debris and garbage dumping with the BMC and police for the last few months. The Building and Factory department of the BMC had even lodged a complaint with the police in May after illegal garbage dumping was brought in.

"We had seized vehicles and issued notice under the MR&TP Act. Since the plot is a private one, we cannot do much," said a senior civic official from the K West ward. He added that basically the open is used to keep debris for some time before being dumped outside the city.