Stung by the failure and apathy of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) towards the sanitation of sea shores and beach fronts in the coastal belt of Uttan near Bhayandar, local residents launched a cleanliness drive on Saturday.
The drive was conducted under the aegis of social organizations including-For Future India and Child Help Foundation with the active participation of local residents- especially people from the fishing community, police personnel and local municipal corporator- Sharmila Bagaji.
Villagers have alleged that the sanitation department was least bothered to keep this coastal stretch free from garbage. Notably, the entire garbage generated by the twin-city is being dumped by the municipal corporation at the lone waste processing plants located on the hillocks of Dhavgi village in Uttan for the past more than a decade, despite a stiff opposition by villagers.
“They lift the garbage from the entire city and dump it in our village, but when it comes to cleaning the coastlines of our area the civic administration is least cared. There should be a permanent mechanism in place to ensure day-to-day cleaning of the coastline.” said Bagaji.
Due to lack of sanitation measures in the by-lanes of small hamlets and villages in the coastal area, a huge amount of garbage is thrown into the sea. However, the sea throws back the garbage onto the shore again. “The clean-up contractors have been lifting garbage, but the quantity is higher than usual. While we are working towards better sanitation, people should be disciplined to get cleaner beaches.” said a MBMC personnel.
Apart from 8 to 10 tonnes of industrial and bio medical waste, the twin-city generates more than 500 metric tonnes of garbage every day.
