Bombay HC asks Mumbai corporators what they did about garbage and stench in their wards

The Bombay High Court has asked Mumbai's corporators directly what they have contributed towards resolving garbage and sanitation problems in their wards. The court expressed strong displeasure at their alleged failure and asked what elected representatives are doing to keep the city clean.

A division bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale made the remarks on Tuesday while hearing petitions concerning the persistent stench and pollution from the Kanjurmarg dumping ground.

The court wanted to know what concrete steps corporators had taken to improve cleanliness in their wards, particularly in slum areas. The judges observed that elected representatives appeared more interested in criticising the municipal administration than in taking the initiative to solve local problems.

The bench also said that if corporators cannot resolve basic civic issues in their own wards, there is no point in holding municipal elections. According to the court, the government could in that case run the municipal corporation's administration itself.

The bench specifically asked whether corporators had run awareness campaigns among slum residents on proper waste disposal and waste segregation. It also asked what efforts the elected representatives of Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli had made to remove the stench coming from the nearby Kanjurmarg dumping ground.

The court did not appear satisfied with the measures taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) either. Mist sprinklers and water-spraying systems had been installed to curb the stench, but the court said these were only temporary arrangements and had failed to address the root cause. The contractor installed 27 mist sprinklers, yet people continued to complain of the stench, especially at night.

The bench asked for a different approach to waste management. The court stressed that waste should be segregated effectively at source and that waste management should be decentralised.

The High Court directed the municipal commissioner to act against ward-level officials responsible for allowing garbage to accumulate on roads and in public places. The civic chief has been asked to submit to the court details of the action taken against officials found negligent in their duties.

The court also questioned how the monitoring committee it had set up functions. It has sought details of the meetings the committee held and the recommendations it made to resolve the issue.

The bench indicated that it would appoint three lawyers as amici curiae (friends of the court) to help identify shortcomings in the current waste management system and suggest effective solutions.

The hearing comes at a time when residents of Kanjurmarg, Vikhroli, Bhandup and nearby areas are complaining of persistent stench and pollution from the dumping ground.