The Bombay High Court has warned that it could order strict action against municipal officials if Mumbai’s garbage and sanitation conditions do not improve, according to a report by Loksatta. The court criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for failing to control waste accumulation and foul odours despite repeated directions.
A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale said garbage and dirt could be found across the city and described the situation as serious. The judges questioned how Mumbai could continue to call itself an international city while residents faced persistent waste and odour problems in several areas.
The court said municipal ward officials had not taken adequate action despite earlier orders. It warned that assistant commissioners of ward offices and officials responsible for solid waste management could also be held accountable if conditions remained unchanged.
The areas specifically mentioned in the report include Fort, Dadar, Jogeshwari, Andheri, Oshiwara and Lokhandwala. Loksatta reported that garbage piles were visible in these neighbourhoods and that similar conditions existed in other parts of Mumbai. The report did not provide a citywide assessment of waste volumes, the number of affected locations or the BMC’s current clean-up schedule.
The court’s remarks also addressed the role of residents. The bench observed that people often dispose of waste in open spaces whenever they find an available spot, while noting that residents also want their neighbourhoods to remain clean and orderly. The comments place the problem within both municipal enforcement and public disposal practices, although the court’s immediate criticism was directed at the civic administration and its ward-level officers.
Solid waste management in Mumbai is administered through the BMC’s municipal and ward-level machinery. The court’s warning puts responsibility on the officials overseeing these systems to demonstrate that earlier directions are being implemented. It also signals that accountability may extend beyond the central civic administration to individual ward offices and officers handling waste management.
The next step identified in the report is improvement in local conditions. If the garbage and odour problems continue, the bench said it may issue orders for action against the concerned assistant commissioners and solid waste management officials.
