Mumbai may soon get separate bins to dispose off dog poop

Acting on a demand made by a Bandra corporator, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is contemplating the installation of dog poop boxes in the city.

Acting on a demand made by a Bandra corporator, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is contemplating the installation of dog poop boxes in the city.

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The boxes that will be mounted on rods will dispense plastic bags, which could be used for collecting poop. The bag can be deposited in a bin next to the dispenser. Corporator Asif Zakaria said, “Management of dog poop on roads and footpaths is an issue which troubles us. Many international cities have successfully experimented with this technique. Mumbai, too, should try out this option.”

Additional municipal commissioner Rajiv Jalota said: “We need to think of ideas such as this which have proved to be quite effective in foreign cities.”

Chaitanya Kulkarni, a dog-owner with an experience of picking up his cocker spaniel Purple’s poop for the last three years, said: “Many a times I have to throw the poop in the nearby drain. Having a separate bin will encourage many to use the facility."

The civic body had, in 2009, ruffled many feathers when it announced a ban on dogs near Marine drive, citing the littering of the stretch with dog poop as the reason behind it.

Earlier, in 2007, the civic body had announced Rs500 fine for owners who didn’t clean up their dog’s poop.