‘Matunga East is a hotspot for dumping construction debris’

Mandlik has the receipts to prove it. His first complaint on X (formerly Twitter) was filed on July 13, the day he started noticing the debris. “I drop my son to the school in the morning and then take a walk around,” he said. Mandlik is the president of the OBC department of the Mumbai Congress

MUMBAI: The periphery of Don Bosco High School in Matunga has become an informal rubbish dump for construction debris, according to one person’s persistent complaints since July. “Every time I complain,” said Sudarshan Sadanand Mandlik, “the BMC takes ages to act on it. But even after it takes action, another pile of construction debris is promptly plonked.”

‘Matunga East is a hotspot for dumping construction debris’

Mandlik has the receipts to prove it. His first complaint on X (formerly Twitter) was filed on July 13, the day he started noticing the debris. “I drop my son to the school in the morning and then take a walk around,” he said. Mandlik is the president of the OBC department of the Mumbai Congress.

The next complaint was on July 27 for debris chucked in front of a building called Nalini Kunj. The pile appeared once again earlier this month, and the BMC’s took half-hearted action on it; some debris still remain strewn haphazardly on the footpath, a hazard for pedestrians.

Residents of Nalini Kunj confirmed this. “I saw it once with my own eyes around two weeks ago,” said Parth Koni. “I was up all night studying, and around 5.30am, I heard the noise of a truck and something crashing. I thought it was a dream, but when I checked from my window I saw a truck speeding off after dumping a whole lot of debris by the footpath.” Another resident added that the dumping takes place at least three to four times a month.

“There are many such spots in Matunga East where debris is found dumped repeatedly,” he added. “I suspect it is the builder’s way of getting away with taking no responsibility for the transportation and dumping of construction debris as per the rules. The BMC picks up the debris eventually, but why don’t they catch the culprits and stop this from happening in the first place?”

Chakrapani Alle, assistant commissioner of F North ward, said that the complaint would be attended to on Friday. “We fine whoever is responsible, depending on the extent of the dumping, and take action under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2006,” he said.