Gandhigiri to help keep city clean

Don’t you dare litter the roads near the Dadar, Matunga and Mahim stations for the next one week. Not because you will be fined. Because you will be made to clear your own mess by the civic officials who have resorted to Gandhigiri.

“For now Gandhigiri is working to tackle habitual offenders,” said A Khanolkar, ward officer of Dadar.

In an intensive drive carried out in the area on Monday, officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) requested people with folded hands not to litter the roads. When the Gandhian ways did not work, they made people clean up their own mess. At Ranade road opposite Nakshatra Mall, a 25-year-old man was made to move his car and clean up the garbage pile underneath. “With folded hands we requested him to move the car but he acted smart. Our staff was forced to move the car and make him clean the mess,” said Khanolkar.

The entourage of about 70 civic staffers went on to fine 50 offenders for spitting and littering on ten major roads in Dadar, Matunga and Mahim. A fine of Rs42,000 was also collected in the process, the intention of which was to educate the floating population at the stations, said civic officials.

The drive, which will be continued for another one week, is the second phase of the sustained effort to implement the recently passed cleanliness bylaws. The first-phase of the drive was initiated at the Marine Drive about a month ago. To give some colour to the drive, Marathi actor Atul Parchure also accompanied the civic staff.

Another ‘culprit’, a paan walla was made to clean the mess on the footpath around his shop since he failed to place a dustbin leading his customers to spit on the footpath. “All the people spitting paan on the footpath were his customers. Since he failed to place a dustbin he was held responsible for the mess,” said Khanolkar.

The local residents seem to have taken to the idea of community cleaning and were seen obeying the fines and punishment. “If this is in the law then what can we do? We have to clean it up,” said a disappointed Ramesh Kadam( name change on request) who was caught spitting.