Bombay High Court Rebukes BMC Over Mumbai's Filth, Warns Ward Officers

The Bombay High Court on Thursday sharply criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation over the garbage accumulating on the city's roads, observing that Mumbai was filled with filth and questioning whether the civic body's machinery had stopped functioning.

A division bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale was hearing a petition filed by residents of Kannamwar Nagar concerning pollution caused by the Kanjurmarg dumping ground.

The bench asked the civic body whether the entire city was covered in garbage and whether its machinery had become inactive. It said filth was visible everywhere and that the time had come to act against BMC officers, adding that the system appeared not to be working and that a proper standard operating procedure was needed. The court also questioned how Mumbai could call itself an international city in such conditions.

The judges issued a stern warning that the ward officer concerned would be held responsible for uncleanliness in every ward, and that contempt action would follow against those who failed to discharge their duties. The court said officers would now be held accountable and that action against them was necessary, adding that the city was full of filth and that the BMC was offering false assurances.

The bench said it had no option but to direct the BMC Commissioner to set the house in order and fix accountability. It described the matter as serious and painful, noting that there were certain identified spots in the city where heaps of garbage were always found despite the ward officers concerned taking no action.

The court also suggested that the civic body enlist social media influencers for cleanliness drives, and consider imposing fines and initiating criminal prosecution against those who litter or dump garbage on public roads.

The matter is scheduled to be heard again on October 7.