Subheadline: The Bombay High Court has directed the civic body to identify ward and field officers responsible for waste dumped on public streets and open spaces.
The Bombay High Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to submit the names of ward officers and field-level officials responsible for maintaining cleanliness, after repeatedly flagging garbage and litter on public streets and open spaces across Mumbai.
A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale issued the direction on Thursday while hearing a petition filed by Kannamwar Nagar Cooperative Housing Society over odour from the Kanjurmarg dumping ground. The court also directed the BMC to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) and place it before the bench at the next hearing.
“Enough is enough. The moment we get a complaint, we’ll hold the particular officer responsible and ensure he is not there in public service,” the bench said, according to the proceedings reported by the Times of India. The judges said the municipal commissioner would have to establish accountability among officers who failed to prevent waste dumping on public streets.
The court criticised the BMC’s functioning during the hearing and said ward officers were not operating properly. Referring to a photograph of garbage in Dadar, Justice Kulkarni told senior advocate Anil Sakhare, appearing for the civic body, that the court could provide photographs from across Mumbai if the municipal commissioner was not aware of the condition of public spaces.
The judges said the BMC’s previous assurances appeared to have remained “paper assurances” and directed the civic body to “put the house in order”. The court also called for the strict implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, which assign duties to urban local bodies. It said waste segregation would become increasingly important, particularly during festival periods, when the volume of waste can rise and unmanaged dumping can create wider sanitation problems.
The bench further directed the expeditious appointment of a task force to oversee implementation of the rules. It also said the Maharashtra government should develop a uniform policy, citing Singapore’s use of heavy fines against people who litter. The judges noted that the responsibility for cleaner streets also involved citizen behaviour, saying residents often dump waste wherever open spaces or streets are available.
As part of the directions, the court asked the BMC to issue public-awareness advertisements in newspapers and on television. It also suggested that social influencers be encouraged to communicate messages discouraging residents from throwing garbage on public streets and promoting a greater sense of civic responsibility.
The hearing has been adjourned to October 7, when the BMC is expected to submit the names of responsible officers, place its proposed SOP before the court and provide an update on the task force and implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
