Mumbai: The Oshiwara police have registered an FIR against the president of a waste management organisation after a BMC official complained that dry waste collected from Andheri was dumped into Mogra nullah instead of being transported to a designated sorting centre for recycling.TOI, in its September 16 edition, had reported about the viral video showing the illegal dumping. The case was registered on Wednesday night following a complaint by Anish Boricha, 54, a junior supervisor with BMC’s solid waste management department.The complaint came after a video showing alleged dumping of dry waste near Mogra Nallah was posted on X by the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association on September 14.Police have registered the case under Sections 326(c) (Mischief causing inundation or obstruction to public drainage, resulting in damage), 270 (Public nuisance), 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of a disease dangerous to life)and 324(3) (Mischief causing loss or damage to property, including government or local-authority property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.The FIR states that the BMC has divided the Andheri division into 16 sections for dry waste management. A private organisation, Aakar Mumbai, has been assigned the responsibility of collecting dry waste from these sections and transporting it to designated dry waste sorting centres for recycling.Three sorting centres are mentioned in the complaint — one at Ajit Glass in Jogeshwari West, another behind Yash Raj Studio, off Veera Desai Road, and the third at Kapaswadi on Juhu-Versova Link Road. According to the complaint, all three centres are under the control of Aakar Mumbai.Boricha alleged that the dry waste collected from the Rajkumar Chowki section was required to be transported to one of these designated facilities. Instead, he alleged, the waste was dumped into Mogra nullah.The FIR, however, records allegations made by the complainant and does not by itself establish that the accused committed the alleged offence. The allegations will have to be examined by the police during the course of their investigation.SOP for tighter monitoring of dry waste collection and segregation centresThe BMC has ordered a citywide inspection and tighter monitoring of dry waste collection and segregation centres following the complaint of a dry waste collection vehicle deployed by the civic body in Andheri’s Lokhandwala area was caught dumping waste into Mogra nullah on Monday morning.The civic administration, in an SOP, has directed all assistant commissioners to conduct joint inspections of every Dry Waste Collection and Segregation Centre (DWCSC) in their respective wards within seven days. The move is aimed at plugging gaps in supervision, monitoring and traceability of dry waste collection and transportation, the civic body said.During the inspections, officials have been asked to verify the validity and scope of operators work orders, details of vehicles and drivers deployed, and whether GPS/Vehicle Tracking and Monitoring System devices installed in vehicles are functioning.Officials will also have to scrutinise source-wise waste collection and trip records, daily quantities of waste received, recovered, rejected and dispatched, as well as the closing stock at each centre. Receipts and authorisations from recyclers and processing facilities, and the final destination of processing rejects, will also be checked.The BMC has also ordered officials to examine CCTV coverage and retention of footage at the centres and check compliance with fire safety, housekeeping, worker safety and waste storage norms. Any unauthorised subcontracting or diversion of waste will have to be recorded.The BMC has also made individual accountability a part of the new monitoring mechanism. Where violations are detected, action will be initiated separately against the segregation centre operator, vehicle contractor, driver and supervisory personnel, depending on their respective responsibilities and contractual obligations.
