Mumbai: Maintaining cleanliness and adopting hygienic habits is very important. If there is cleanliness, then all other developmental issues are important. Therefore, a central control room (war room) should be set up to ensure that the cleanliness work is done effectively in the Mumbai area. Apart from this, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed that Assistant Commissioners of the concerned administrative departments should make regular field visits to ensure that cleanliness is done properly at the local level.
The meeting held at the Municipal Corporation Headquarters today reviewed various projects, initiatives and activities of the Solid Waste Management Department. Deputy Commissioner (Municipal Commissioner’s Office) Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Kiran Dighavkar, concerned officers were present on the occasion.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide further said that cleanliness is a regular process. The reason is that it needs to be done regularly and effectively. The coastal roads and highways of Mumbai should be cleaned carefully. There is a lot of traffic on the roads. Therefore, separate vehicles are required to clean these places mechanically. Help should be taken from good organizations to develop special vehicles (custom vehicles) which have various features required for cleaning these roads. He also said that some busy places should be improved in terms of cleanliness and then the same cleanliness should be maintained there too, so that the citizens are aware.
Meanwhile, ten percent of the modern vehicles brought for garbage collection under the solid waste department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation are electronic (e-vehicles). Ashwini Bhide said that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation is the first municipal corporation in the country to use such a large number of large-capacity electronic vehicles for solid waste collection. He also appealed to the citizens and institutions to participate in large numbers in the ‘Mumbai Clean League’ competition organized by the Municipal Corporation to ensure citizen participation in cleanliness.
On this occasion, Deputy Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar gave a detailed presentation about various projects, equipment, operations etc. of the Solid Waste Management Department. On this occasion, he said that currently about 7200 metric tonnes of solid waste is collected from Mumbai by the Municipal Corporation and it is disposed of scientifically. A service-based contract system has been adopted to maintain cleanliness across Mumbai. In addition, new vehicles have been brought in terms of solid waste collection and transportation. Earlier, 1,196 vehicles were working for this. However, with the increase in the capacity of the new vehicles, the number of these vehicles has now reached 988. In addition, their colors have also been changed. There are 46 dry waste segregation centers in Mumbai. While 94 vehicles are working full-time for this. A special service has been started by the Municipal Corporation for the collection of domestic sanitary waste. Dighavkar also said that many institutions are effectively utilizing this service.

A suspect under trial has escaped from the Mumbai Sessions Court. The suspect had pushed the constable and fled. According to the details, the suspect under trial from Sessions Court Room No. 10, Calamba has fled from the second floor. Complainant Prashant Shrimant Kamble, 28 years old, employed as a police constable, resident of No. 2200, 2C Building, MHADA Colony, Mohite Patil Nagar, Mankhurd, Mumbai, pushed Harrison Anthony Joseph, 42 years old, resident of Gala No. 08, Room No. 2202, New Scale Building, Masafir Khana, Crawford Market, Mumbai. The suspect under trial in this case was brought from Arthur Road to Court Room No. 10, Sessions Court, Calamba for hearing today. After the hearing of the said suspect, he was to return to his jail along with the other four accused. The other four accused were to be kept in the lockup of the Sessions Court till the hearing is completed. While the complainant was being brought down from the third floor, as soon as he reached the second floor, the accused surrounded the complainant before he knew anything, grabbed his hand and pushed him and fled. The said case has been registered on the basis of the statement of the complainant. A case has been registered against the accused under sections 307,504,506,34 IPC. On receiving information about the said offences, the Crime Detection Team has immediately rushed to the spot and the footage has been examined. In the said footage, the accused is seen fleeing from the Sessions Court premises and on the basis of the information received, the Crime Detection Team has immediately left for Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kurla to search for him. Further investigation is underway.

The entire area of ​​the Methi River as well as the places where water accumulates during the monsoon in the small and big drains of Mumbai should be monitored and the garbage and sludge present in the drains should be removed on priority basis. Plan a time frame for this work and ensure that 100% cleaning of drains in Mumbai is completed by 31st May 2026 in any case. Along with this, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Mrs. Ashwini Bhide has also directed to inspect the manholes or drains on the major storm water channels. The Mumbai Municipal Administration has started the process of cleaning the drains and rivers of Mumbai by removing the sludge. Along with the cleaning of the drain in Mumbai, the work of Methi River is also going on. Work has started at six locations under three packages.

In this backdrop, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Mr. Abhijeet Bangar today (April 8, 2026) visited the river Methi at Jetavan Adyan near MMRDA office in Bandra Kurla Complex, reviewed the ongoing sanitation work at Nehru Science Centre Drain (Ghardaravi) in Worli and North Dadra (Ghardaravi). The Commissioner enquired when the work of removing silt from Nehru Science Centre Drain in Worli (South Zone) had started and by when it would be completed. Along with this, Bhide directed that the entire area of ​​the drain where water accumulates during monsoon should be kept in mind and the garbage or silt present in the drain in its vicinity should be removed on priority basis. Municipal Corporation officers were directed to ensure 100% completion of the drain cleaning by May 31, 2026 in any case. In addition, the current condition of manholes or culverts on major rainwater drains across the city should be checked seriously. Bhide directed that care should be taken to ensure that the installed traps are in good condition. There are low-lying areas in the area of ​​Worli Naka and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Sat Raasta) for water to accumulate. He also directed the Metro and Road Department to ensure that the laterals attached to the rainwater drains are maintained in good condition so that rainwater can drain at such places.

Municipal Commissioner Bhide visited the Dadar Dharavi drain. Giving information on the occasion, the concerned officials said that floating waste thrown by citizens in the Dadar Dharavi drain is a major problem. It is expected that the drains will be cleaned more than once at such places. The wall has collapsed at some places upstream of this drain. This may pose a threat to the nearby citizens. However, the concerned ward officer and the storm water drainage department should work together to repair the wall. The Commissioner said that in places in the city where citizens have a problem of throwing garbage into drains, an initiative should be taken to install nets in such drains, so that garbage can be prevented from being thrown into drains.

Drain cleaning work has been started at six places in the three packages of the Methi River. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide took package-wise information about these works. Bhide gave instructions to review the remaining period planning in terms of the package, how many vehicles and machinery have been made available, how much increase is expected in working at the expected speed, and to take necessary steps to increase the speed of work. The Municipal Commissioner said that the officers should be very insistent on the quality of silting of the Methi River, especially to maintain transparency in the entire process. He also gave instructions that it should be used properly.

Deputy Commissioner (Infrastructure) Girish Nikam, Chief Engineer (Rainwater Channel) Kalpana Rawal, Deputy Chief Engineer Sanjay Angle along with concerned officers and engineers were present on the occasion.