'River Anthem' hasn't helped Dahisar's woes

Although Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar declared their full support to keep the city's rivers clean during the recently organised River March, residents of Dahisar are upset by the empty words. A River March was organised on the banks of Dahisar river and was flagged by the CM's wife Amruta Fadnavis however, the condition of the river remains unchanged.

One such example is the cow dung being dumped in Dahisar river opposite Sanjay Gandhi National Park. "The river has been saturated with cow dung for years which is continuously eliminated from the cow shelters (tabelas) along the river. Mrs Fadnavis had seen the spot during the river march on March 4 and and later the matter was forwarded to minister Ranjit Patil. However, the situation is the same. The cow dung is not only severely damaging the water body but the smell makes us suffocate here," said Pankaj Trivedi, a river activist and resident of Dahisar.

"Politicians fail to follow-up and civic officials show mere lethargy in taking action against these illegal activities. It has been clearly mentioned in the Chitale Commission report to stop dumping cow dung in the river but even after 12 years, the situation is unchanged," said activists.

Meanwhile, BMC has its own version on the situation. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ashok Khaire said, "I am aware that mud and cow dung from the tabelas is eliminated in to the river but to what extent can we stop them? 
The tabela owners say the disposal happens only when the shelters are washed. The problem can be solved only when the tabelas are shifted to the outskirts of the city but the owners have approached the court and matter is subjudiced." On the issue of cleaning the river, Khaire said, "We are in the process of appointing a consultant to take steps based on his/her guidelines."