11 August,2025 07:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Eshanpriya MS
Discarded waste festers on Bandra West streets. Pics/Eeshanpriya MS
With mounds of garbage piling up along the side of the road in several parts of Bandra West, residents have slammed the BMC for failing to streamline the collection of trash. With the Bandra fair to be celebrated in the second week of September at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, residents have urged the civic body to clean up chronic garbage spots in the vicinity, most of which are in proximity to the church, including Hill Road, St Peter's Road, and St John Baptist Road.
Lillian Pais, a Bandra resident, said, "Accumulation of garbage is happening in the vicinity of schools, near mutton markets, under flyovers, behind parked vehicles, and in the middle of residential areas. Even though the BMC has got rid of community open bins, garbage is still piling up on the road."
With a series of religious festivals coming up, the need to clear roadside garbage in a systematic manner has been highlighted by residents of the area, pointing to the health hazards caused by garbage piling up, localities becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and "a general belief that it is okay to throw more garbage on existing piles on the road".
âPlanning needs adjustment'
Congress leader Asif Zakaria, former corporator from Bandra and resident, alleged that letting trash pile up on roads is one way for the BMC to show a drop in garbage generated from wards. Bulk generators of waste were also required to segregate and outsource the recycling of waste, in an effort to reduce the burden on BMC's dumping grounds.
"While we are able to show that waste generation has decreased from several wards in the city, and fewer metric tonnes are sent to the dumping ground, it is in such public places that you will find lots of waste getting accumulated," Zakaria alleged.
He also pointed out that the pick-up timings of the BMC could be synchronised better to ensure garbage is picked up after people discard it on the streets. "There is a need to change the mentality of people who throw garbage on the road, but it does not mean we can ignore the problem of garbage accumulation. We need to adjust planning better to fill in the gaps," he said. Multiple initiatives have been taken up by housing societies to prevent the dumping of garbage, such as installing cameras in their vicinity.
Pais also said, "Moreover, there is no service delivery in Gaothan areas. People's mentality also needs to be sorted first. If the BMC implements fines, there will be no need to have a user fee."
Official speaks
"There are daily rounds for garbage collection in all these areas. If we receive a complaint from residents, we dispatch a team and clean the area up immediately, only for the problem to return the next day. This issue needs a more holistic approach. However, we can examine the issue to fill in gaps where required," an official said.
