Thane activist turns decade-old dump into clean zone

The site is located at Naupada near Bedekar Hospital, opposite a children’s garden

Thane resident and anti-noise activist Dr Mahesh Bedekar transformed a ten-year-old dumping site into a clean zone as a part of a drive to instil cleanliness among residents.

Anti-noise activist Dr Mahesh Bedekar painted and beautified the area with the help of hired workers. (Praful Gangurde)

The site is located at Naupada near Bedekar Hospital, opposite a children’s garden.

“I noticed that residents have been dumping garbage here regularly, without worrying about hygiene. The area is one of the city’s prime locations. However, residents still lack civic sense. Hence, I thought of bringing about a change and converted the area into a clean zone,” said Bedekar.

“The Thane Municipal Corporation’s sanitation officer had cleaned the area several times. However, the corporation was unable to prevent residents from disposing of waste there,” he said.

“I hired workers to help me paint the area. I put up a few pictures of artist Raja Ravi Verma as well as some information about him. This should deter people from dumping garbage,” added Bedekar.

Dr Mahesh Bedekar has put up pictures of the artist Raja Ravi Verma in the area. (Praful Gangurde)

The area has also been artistically spray-painted with graffiti. “One person will keep a watch on the site, at least during the initial days, to prevent residents from disposing of waste there,” he said.

Residents have welcomed the change as they had been complaining about the stench emanating from the dump for a long time.

“It is difficult to change people’s habits. However, I hope this place inspires people to keep the area clean. It should inspire everyone to be responsible for the area’s cleanliness,” said Satish Lad, 45, a Naupada resident.

“The area has become beautiful and we hope it stays this way,” said Neelima Dhar, 39, a Naupada resident.