Aaditya Thackeray flags garbage lapses and illegal hoardings, says Mumbai is being visually defaced

Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray has raised sharp concerns over what he says are two growing problems defacing Mumbai: the deterioration of garbage management and the unchecked rise of illegal political hoardings

Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray has raised sharp concerns over what he says are two growing problems defacing Mumbai: the deterioration of garbage management and the unchecked rise of illegal political hoardings. In a strongly worded letter to civic chief and administrator Bhushan Gagrani, he questioned what he described as a visible decline in basic urban upkeep over the past two years.

Mumbai, India - November 18, 2022: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray addresses a press conferance at Sena Bhavan, Dadar, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (Pratik Chorge/HT PHOTO)

Thackeray noted that garbage, which had been efficiently managed for nearly 15 years, is now piling up across the city in narrow lanes, busy junctions, outside religious sites, along major roads and even outside residential buildings. He asked the administration to clarify what had changed in the waste collection system, whether contractors had been replaced or manpower diverted, and why debris and waste were not being cleared on time.

He also criticised what he called the selective removal of illegal hoardings. Despite a court order banning such displays, he said the corporation seems to act only against those put up by the opposition, while hoardings supporting ministers or ruling party leaders often remain untouched for weeks. He added that during visits of foreign dignitaries, the government itself installs numerous unauthorised hoardings, worsening the city’s visual clutter.

Thackeray recalled that he had written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis calling for a complete halt to political hoardings and had assured that his party would comply if the government declared a no-hoarding policy. He said he never received a response, but hoped that the civic administration would act decisively on the issues he has raised.