Now, night visits by officials to keep streets clean
TNN | Sep 13, 2023, 10.19 AM IST
MUMBAI: Additional Municipal Commissioner (AMC) Sudhakar Shinde, known for his undercover hospital visits to assess service quality, has shifted his focus to the city’s pressing solid waste management issues.
From weekends to late-night rounds, Shinde has spurred ward officers and deputy municipal commissioners into action, ensuring that garbage no longer litters the streets or obstructs traffic due to malfunctioning garbage compactors.
A message sent to all solid waste management department staff recently read, “AMC sir is always making surprise visits to places across the city, particularly during night time and making observations about solid waste management activities. Please consider making a schedule of night inspection of your zone on daily basis. One night each by junior overseer, supervisor, assistant head supervisor, sun engineer, assistant engineer, executive engineer of each ward covering their zonal jurisdiction. Next duty will come only after three weeks for each person. Visit can cover mechanical power sweeping works, open dumps, night cleansing, collection and transportation (C&T) work inspection.”
During one of his visits, Shinde encountered a garbage compactor causing traffic disruption. He insisted that garbage collection should not interfere with traffic flow and recommended multiple daily pickups to prevent eyesores on the roads. Shinde advocates more efficient garbage transportation, increased sweeping in market and high-footfall areas, and the potential deployment of nuisance detectors and upcoming clean-up marshals to address public space littering.
A senior officer from the solid waste department of the BMC said that they need the cooperation of the public and other agencies as well MMRDA and BPT. “Even if BMC cleans up the streets under its jurisdiction but other agencies are not doing their job, visibility takes a hit and the whole area looks unhygienic,” said an official.
From weekends to late-night rounds, Shinde has spurred ward officers and deputy municipal commissioners into action, ensuring that garbage no longer litters the streets or obstructs traffic due to malfunctioning garbage compactors.
A message sent to all solid waste management department staff recently read, “AMC sir is always making surprise visits to places across the city, particularly during night time and making observations about solid waste management activities. Please consider making a schedule of night inspection of your zone on daily basis. One night each by junior overseer, supervisor, assistant head supervisor, sun engineer, assistant engineer, executive engineer of each ward covering their zonal jurisdiction. Next duty will come only after three weeks for each person. Visit can cover mechanical power sweeping works, open dumps, night cleansing, collection and transportation (C&T) work inspection.”
During one of his visits, Shinde encountered a garbage compactor causing traffic disruption. He insisted that garbage collection should not interfere with traffic flow and recommended multiple daily pickups to prevent eyesores on the roads. Shinde advocates more efficient garbage transportation, increased sweeping in market and high-footfall areas, and the potential deployment of nuisance detectors and upcoming clean-up marshals to address public space littering.
A senior officer from the solid waste department of the BMC said that they need the cooperation of the public and other agencies as well MMRDA and BPT. “Even if BMC cleans up the streets under its jurisdiction but other agencies are not doing their job, visibility takes a hit and the whole area looks unhygienic,” said an official.