BMC, green groups join hands for clean-up

The 11-day Ganeshotsav festivities may be over, but the toughest part of the civic body’s job has just begun — clearing the 3,200 metric tonne of nirmalaya (organic offerings), 200 metric tonne of which was generated on Wednesday alone.

Besides the nrimalaya, paper cups, plastic plates and other waste was also disposed off on the roads in large quantities. “The roads are full of filth. A majority of it is because of the booths which served water and prasad to devotees. The BMC should allow volunteers from advanced locality managements (ALMs) to monitor this menace and the offenders should be fined,” said Anandini Thakoor of H (West) Ward Citizens’ Trust.

However, BP Patil, chief engineer of BMC’s solid waste management cell, said that the clean-up drive is going well.

“Similar quantities of waste and nirmalaya are produced every year. Additional manpower is already in place to collect the garbage and 1,200 vehicles are working in shifts,” Patil said.
Over 70 metric tonne of the nirmalaya has been collected by the Orchid ALM trust. The trust carries out vermi-composting of nirmalaya collected from Dahisar to Malad at the Gorai dumping ground.

Alongside, 200 volunteers of  Young Environmentalists Programme Trust undertook clean-up operations at Powai lake on Thursday. “The volunteers included several school students,” said Elsie Gabriel, president of the trust.