BMC initiates action after CCTV footage shows truck dumping debris on footpath

Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has tracked down a private builder and initiated against him after a truck was seen unloading construction debris on the footpath alongside Lady Jamshedji Road in Mahim.

The incident, which took place during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, was captured on CCTV and the footage has been retrieved by the BMC. In the video, one can see a truck stopping by the footpath and unloading the debris haphazardly just beside the road. It is also seen that before dumping the debris one person steps out of the truck and carefully inspects the area.

Senior officials of the civic body have said that they have already registered an official police complaint in this matter.

Kiran Dighavkar, the assistant municipal commissioner said that the truck is not a local vehicle and the BMC has shared the details with the Transport Department of the state government for imposing a penalty on the owner.

“In the CCTV footage we have seen that the truck driver is intentionally dumping the debris outside a construction site so that it gives an impression that they are dumping the sludge,” said Dighavkar.

“We have been able to record the details of the truck from the CCTV footage and have registered a complaint. This incident has been happening consistently and this is the fourth time that we have seen such debris being dumped at the roadside,” Dighavkar said.

Dighavkar also maintained that the components of the debris comprised of sludges that are usually used for carrying out internal works in road construction.

Meanwhile, activists and local residents have raised the issue of consistent debris dumping on social media. A Twitter handle called, “@mumbaimatterz” which addresses civic issues anonymously posted a video of the pile of sludge and tweeted, “The debris mafia strikes again ! Big mountains of construction debris dumped at LJ Road near BEST bus stop nr under construction Suraj Vitalis building.”

A local Mahim resident, Francis Rebello said, “These incidents have become a regular phenomenon now. Almost thrice in a week, we find debris being dumped on our footpath to the extent that there is hardly any space for us to walk.”