Mumbai: BMC cracks whip on SHGs in Sangharsh Nagar clean-up drive

A lane littered with garbage and septic water in Sangharsh Nagar

Bringing some relief to the residents of Chandivli's Sangharsh Nagar from the problem of waste-laden streets and gullies, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday initiated a seven-day crackdown on agencies responsible for cleaning the area under the Swachh Mumbai Prabodhan Abhiyan (SMPA).

As part of the initiative, agencies must now maintain a daily attendance record of their staff and submit a daily progress report to the BMC's L ward office, which has jurisdiction over the area. "The agencies will also be fined for non-attendance and non-performance of work, as per the guidelines of the SMPA," an official from the L ward told mid-day.

Contact workers began cleaning the area after notices were sent to self-help groups. Pics/By Special Arrangement

This newspaper on Thursday reported the problems faced by at least 12,000 residents of Sangharsh Nagar due to the accumulation of waste in streets and gullies. When mid-day contacted officials on Wednesday over the issue, L ward Assistant Commissioner Dhanaji Herlekar directed ward officers to take prompt action.

Subsequently, the civic body issued notices to the concerned agencies, categorised as Bachat Gats or self-help groups (SHGs), informing them that their contracts could be cancelled if the work remained incomplete. An official said, "As per the provisions of SMPA, we have a queue of agencies that can be onboarded as backups if we need to cancel the current agencies' contracts for non-performance. This provides an added incentive for them to complete the work."

The residents, who were rehabilitated in these buildings from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) about 15 years ago, live in what the BMC informally categorises as ‘vertical slums', making them eligible for services under the SMPA.

Mandeep Singh, founder of the Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association, said, "The SMPA has very detailed guidelines of tasks that need to be fulfilled by the SHGs. Just as it includes rewards for completion, it also outlines a structure of fines, for instance, for shortfalls in cleaning internal roads, drains, and toilet blocks. They are even supposed to conduct awareness activities in the area. It is the ward's responsibility to maintain accountability. What is being done here this week should have been a routine procedure."

Residents have alleged that, until now, the cleaning efforts have been superficial. "However, we are very happy that work has finally started in our area," said Gaja Kosh, a resident of Sangharsh Nagar.