The Bombay High Court on Thursday came down heavily on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation over garbage piling up on Mumbai’s roads, observing that the “whole city is full of filth” and warning that ward-level officers would be held accountable if the situation did not improve.

Hearing petitions related to pollution around the Kanjurmarg dumping ground, the court questioned the functioning of the city’s municipal machinery and asked how Mumbai could aspire to be an international city while struggling to maintain basic cleanliness and hygiene.

Court Questions Municipal Machinery

A division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale said there appeared to be little improvement on the ground despite measures initiated by the municipal commissioner and senior civic officials.

“Everywhere there is only filth. We will take action against the BMC officers. Seems like the machinery is not working. You need to have a proper SOP. How are we calling ourselves an international city,” the bench said.

The court observed that several locations in the city had become regular garbage dumping spots, with heaps of waste continuing to accumulate despite the responsibility of ward officers to address such issues.

“This is a serious matter. This is something very painful. There are some identified spots in the city where one will always find heaps of garbage lying and still the concerned ward officers do not take any action,” the bench said.

Ward Officers Face Warning Of Accountability

The High Court said ward officers would also be held responsible for failing to ensure cleanliness and hygiene on public roads.

“Now we will hold these officers also accountable and responsible. There needs to be action against them too. The whole city is full of filth. Enough is enough. The BMC is giving us false assurances,” the bench said.

Directing the BMC Commissioner to “put the house in order”, the court said accountability needed to be fixed within the civic administration.

The bench warned that it could issue stricter directions if the civic body failed to improve the situation.

“It appears that the entire municipal machinery is inactive. No action is taken against anyone. We will pass drastic order now. There is a limit,” the court said.

High Court Seeks SOP And List Of Responsible Officers

The court directed the BMC to submit its Standard Operating Procedure for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in the city.

It also asked the civic body to provide a list of officers responsible for cleanliness and hygiene on public roads across all 26 municipal wards.

“The moment we find any litter or garbage on road we will remove the concerned officer. They don’t deserve to be in public service,” the court said.

Court Suggests Fines And Action Against Littering

The bench also suggested that the Maharashtra government consider imposing substantial fines on people who litter or dump garbage on public roads.

It further said criminal prosecution could also be considered against those responsible for repeatedly dumping waste in public spaces.

The court advised the BMC to explore the use of social media influencers to promote cleanliness and public awareness, referring to a suggestion made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past.

BMC Asked To Strengthen Waste Segregation

The High Court also directed the civic body to adopt stringent measures to improve garbage segregation.

The bench said it wanted the BMC to become a model municipal corporation but observed that the current situation fell short of that objective.

The matter, arising from petitions concerning pollution around the Kanjurmarg dumping ground, will next be heard on October 7.

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