The Times of India        08.12.2010

BMC pats itself for Shivaji Park clean-up

 MUMBAI: A day after the Chaityabhoomi celebrations got over, the BMC went into an overdrive to clean up Shivaji Park and its environs. The civic workers collected 10 truckloads (about 56 tonnes) of garbage from the ground and other adjoining streets.

Civic officials said that a team of workers toiled round the clock from the wee hours of Tuesday and cleaned up the place. "There were all kinds of things in the garbage, from plastic to bottles to glasses, remnants of food and offerings. But the roads were back to normal by Tuesday afternoon," said Kishor Kshirsagar, deputy municipal commissioner. However, Shivaji Park remained out of bounds. "It will be thrown open to the public on Wednesday. Things are still being taken out from there," Kshirsagar said.

Though the civic officials claimed that the work had been carried out successfully, residents said that even though the civic body had done a good job in most parts of the area, some portions had still not been cleaned properly. "For instance, although they washed the roads with water, the pressure of the water was not strong enough. Because of this, rice particles still remained on the ground," said Ashok Rawat, a Shivaji Park resident.

"Some places had excreta but the BMC has not cleaned it. Only disinfectants were sprayed on it," he said.
Meanwhile, Dalit activists said that the BMC had not made any efforts to keep the Chaityabhoomi site clean. "The BMC was well aware that thousands of people were scheduled to come to the shrine. They should have ensured that the area was clean. But there were sights of people sitting amid huge heaps of garbage that remained there for days," said advocate Shakil Ahmed of the Nirbhay Bano Andolan.