eeshanpriya@htlive.com
Over 2,665 big hotels, restaurants, and housing societies across Mumbai have been flouting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) rules of waste segregation, despite repeated warnings from the civic body. According to data from the solid waste management (SWM) department, there are a total of 3,351 bulk generators -- who generate more than 100 kilograms of waste or have an area of 20,000 square meters or more -- and 79 per cent or 2,665 of these do not process their waste. There is little over a month to go for the civic body’s second deadline to stop collecting wet waste from bulk generators by January end 2018.
While the BMC has sent notices to all bulk generators in the past six months, directing them to segregate waste and compost wet waste within the premises of their buildings, 45 per cent the bulk generators have not even responded to such notices. Only 538 bulk generators have complied by the notices, and 1,320 others have responded asking for a time extension. The remaining 1,493 bulk generators have blatantly ignored the BMC's warning.
The most number of bulk generators who have not even bothered to reply to BMC's notices - 409, fall in the K-West ward, or areas of Andheri (West). The area with the next highest number of defaulters (265) is Malad (West), followed by (175) in the A ward, areas comprising Churchgate, Colaba, Cuff Parade, Marine Drive, and Fort. Next in line are 144 bulk generators in the K-East ward, or the areas around Andheri (East).
Many housing societies and hotels listed by the BMC as bulk generators dispute the civic body's conclusion. Hotels show a deflated figure of waste generated per day, and housing societies say their built up area is not 20,000 square meters, as claimed by the civic body. A senior civic official from the SWM department said, “In the last week of December BMC has decided to take measuring tapes, and weighing scales and prove to bulk waste generators their status as bulk generators, following which BMC will prosecute them for non-compliance. So far, only 249 bulk generators have been prosecuted under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act of 1888."
{{/usCountry}}Many housing societies and hotels listed by the BMC as bulk generators dispute the civic body's conclusion. Hotels show a deflated figure of waste generated per day, and housing societies say their built up area is not 20,000 square meters, as claimed by the civic body. A senior civic official from the SWM department said, “In the last week of December BMC has decided to take measuring tapes, and weighing scales and prove to bulk waste generators their status as bulk generators, following which BMC will prosecute them for non-compliance. So far, only 249 bulk generators have been prosecuted under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act of 1888."
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, the BMC had set October 2 as the deadline to stop collecting wet waste from bulk generators. However, the decision was criticised by corporators in BMC's general body meeting, and municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta extended the deadline by three months.
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