In an attempt to keep dust mitigation in check, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to launch an intense cleaning drive in the city between 11 am and 1 pm daily — termed “garbage-free hours”— from Tuesday. Issuing an order on Monday, Municipal Commissioner and state-appointed administrator, Bhushan Gagrani said that the drive will take place for 15 days, except on Saturdays and Sundays. According to the civic authorities, the drive will take place at places that attract a considerable public footfall including religious institutions, markets, residential pockets, commercial zones among others. The assistant engineers in the solid waste management (SWM) department will be in-charge of the drive in their respective municipal wards and they will submit a daily progress report to the ward officers who will forward it to the municipal commissioner. “The assistant municipal commissioner (ward officers) should issue notices to parties for non-compliance of SWM. Abandoned vehicles should be removed using towing vehicles along with other waste items in the area. The local ward office should also identify areas for disposing of waste at the local level,” the civic officials maintained. “During the drive, deep cleaning of public spaces will be carried out using water to prevent dust displacement. The two hour long deadline will focus on dedicated garbage mitigation in the city,” the official maintained. Last year, the BMC had initiated a deep-cleaning drive in public spaces during the weekend, termed as “Swacch Mumbai Abhiyan”, a brainchild of then chief minister Eknath Shinde.
