The Bombay High Court has directed Mumbai’s municipal commissioner to identify responsibility among ward officers for failing to prevent or remove garbage dumped on streets and pavements.
Photographs placed before the Court showed persistent litter despite repeated official assurances. The bench said citizens have a legal right to clean and hygienic public spaces and found that municipal vigilance and CCTV-based monitoring appeared ineffective in practice.
The corporation was told to consider prosecutions under criminal, municipal and environmental laws against illegal dumping. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board must also maintain close oversight of odour and pollution complaints linked to the Kanjurmarg dumping site and provide an accessible complaint mechanism. Compliance must be placed before the Court at the next hearing.
