BMC officer’s KhoobSurat drive

MUMBAI, August 14Senapati Bapat Marg near Dadar railway station was a filthy stretch, forever strewn with garbage generated by countless ve...

MUMBAI, August 14Senapati Bapat Marg near Dadar railway station was a filthy stretch, forever strewn with garbage generated by countless vendors and shopkeepers, until BMC officer Subhash Dalvi decided to pick up the broom one day. Today, the road is spic and span… and the vendors lining it are aggressively proud of it.

When announcement of stiff fines by the BMC and threats of cancellation of vendors’ licences fell on deaf ears, Dalvi, officer on special duty for the cleanliness drive, went and explained to vendors on Senapati Bapat Marg the importance of keeping their surroundings clean. But they were in no mood to listen to him.

Dalvi’s relentless persuasion, however, finally paid off on August 7 in a matter of nearly 30 minutes. The officer, who had by then become quite a terror for the shopkeepers due to his frequent surprise raids, asked the vendors to clean the road themselves. Shocked, they thought Dalvi must be joking. But when the shopkeepers saw the officer himself pick up a broom and start sweeping, they were overcome by shame. Without a word, they too joined Dalvi.

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The result: in virtually no time, one of the most congested and dirty roads in Chief Minister Manohar Joshi’s constituency has donned a brand new look.

Now, if you spit or carelessly drop a banana skin or other rubbish on the road, you will be besieged by a hoard of angry vendors who will order you to pick it up and put it in the garbage bins. “Tum rasta ko ganda karta hai aur municipality ko paisa hame chukana padta hai (You litter the road and we have to pay fines to the BMC),” they will shout angrily.

The story of Senapati Bapat Marg is a shining example of how persistent efforts on the part of civic authorities and co-operation of vendors and hawkers can make Mumbai garbage-free.

Following Dalvi’s pioneering act, members of Ganesh Krupa Vyapari Sangh, an association of vendors, contributed Rs 160 each and purchased 50 bright-coloured plastic drums to be used as garbage bins. The drums are now lined up in front of each shop, and the BMC clears the garbage twice a day.

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On Saturday last, Dalvi visited the spot and distributed stickers carrying the BMC logo and the message of Clean Mumbai,’ which were proudly pasted on the drums by the vendors.

Said Anil Varte, a cloth vendor, “We were foolish to do our business amid filthy environs. But we have learnt a lesson and will ensure the present cleanliness is maintained.”

Another vendor, Mohan Dinkar More, complained that at times they are fined by BMC due to negligence of vegetable vendors who do business early in the morning. “We come here at about 9 am only to find the entire road littered by the vendors. If they are still around, we catch hold of them and make them clean up the place. But we should not be hauled up for their negligence,” he said.