Mumbai: The BMC has recorded as many as 27,634 complaints from June 2023 till date on the Whatapp helpline for garbage and waste. Among the wards with the highest number of complaints are the K-West ward with 2,717 complaints, followed by P-South with 2,373, S-ward with 2,057 complaints and G-North ward with 1,748 complaints. Among the complaints registered so far, only 326 complaints are pending and yet to be resolved, while 27,308 complaints have been closed.The complaints have been recorded over two years on BMC’s Whatsapp helpline number 8169681697 after it was launched. The BMC had launched a helpline number in June 2023, following instructions from then chief minister Eknath Shinde.“Garbage and waste-related complaints, including debris and even pollution related complaints are registered on the helpline,” said a civic official. The least number of complaints registered on the helpline have been from the T-ward (219). The total number of complaints registered from the A-ward are 292, from B-ward 406, from G-South ward 541 and from F-South ward 557. According to civic officials, ward officers have to monitor all complaints recorded through the helpline daily.Dhaval Shah of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association, said, “Garbage and waste-related problems are attended to after a complaint is registered on the helpline. But there are few locations in the K-West ward, including near slum settlement, where the problem is chronic. Though garbage or waste is cleared, the problem is persistent and it is never resolved completely. The civic body has to ensure that there is a mechanism to resolve the issue completely in chronic areas.“Activist Santosh Daundkar said the BMC should focus on construction sites. “Vehicles leaving construction sites leave a lot of slush on the roads. After the slush dries, dust arises from the same causing air pollution. Even when complaints are uploaded on the helpline with photographs, no action is pursued against the construction site or the dumper owner. There is a provision to impose fines on these vehicles. It is the job of the Junior Overseer to keep a check on these activities in the ward, but they don’t carry out their duties diligently,” said Daundkar.
