The Hindu 11.09.2013
BMC to set up cell for complaints against clean-up marshals
verify the claims of harassment under the scheme of clean-up marshal.
The move comes at a time when there is a growing opposition to this
scheme after it was revived in June.
The cell, headed by the assistant engineer (AE) of the solid
waste management (SWM) department and a senior employee of the clean-up
marshal company employed in the respective ward, will be open to all
citizens on all working days of the week. “Our SWM department is drawing
up a circular that will be issued to every ward office.Within the next
15 days, we aim to set-up this cell for every ward. The AE and the
senior representative from the clean-up marshall company will have to
decide on a standard time everyday to sit and hear citizens’ complaints
of harrassment or any other problems that they have with regard to the
scheme. This way, a public complaint willl be made to the company in the
presence of a civic officer. We will also have official records of the
feedback,” deputy muncipal commissioner Prakash Patil, in-charge of the
SWM department said.
In 2006, BMC as part of its “Clean-Up Mumbai” campaign, had
first initiated the clean-up marshal programme. Based on the programme,
marshals are employed to monitor the city and fine those who litter,
defecate and dirty public property. They are empowered to impose fines
ranging from Rs 100 to 20,000.
In 2011, following allegations of corruption and improper conduct
by the marshals, the BMC terminated the programme. However, following a
Bombay High Court order, the scheme was restarted in June.
With the scheme being revived, corporators of the civic standing
committee recently alleged corruption in the scheme and claimed marshals
were harassing citizens and taking advantage of the scheme. Barely
three months into its revival, the project has already collected Rs 2.5
crore in fines.
“We are not keen to scrap the scheme yet because we expected it to be
met with some opposition. It will take time before the programme can run
smoothly because it involves major changes. People don’t like being
fined for littering. It involves a change of attitude which will not
happen overnight. However, we are taking the allegations of harrasment
seriously and so are setting up this cell,” said Patil.
