HC directs BMC to clean Mithi vicinity, cut power of illegal units

Mumbai, Mar 1 (UNI) Bombay High Court today, while hearing a PIL filed by former MP Kirit Somaiya, directed the BMC to submit photographs of marked area around the Mithi river on March three and also file an interim report on their follow-up on garbage dumping in the same in the next hearing on March 22.

A division bench consisting of Justices R M Lodha and Anoop Mohta made note of BMC Council K K Shinghvi that the garbage was lifted from these areas on a daily basis and asked for the submission of the said proof.

The court also directed Reliance Energy Limited to cut power supply to the identified illegal units and to be made respondent in the next hearing.

Advocate Janak Dwarkadas contended that while 3,600 hutments encroached within 15 metres on either side of the Mithi river in areas of Morarji Nagar, North Sakinaka, Jari Mari airport and Kalpana Talkies, 506 had been vacated till now and 50 new hutments had come up again.

Copies of photographs clicked on February 24 of these areas which proved that solid wastes, illegal sewer drains and garbage was still being dumped in the river, were filed by the petitioner.

Advocate Dwarkadas also argued that there were more than 5,700 units of metal cutting, storage of throwaway material, oil, printing, plastic scrap, wooden boxes manufacturing, screen printing and others in these areas.

The court after going through the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board affidavit, filed on December 17 last year, asked MPCB what follow-up action had taken place regarding illegal units in the areas.

MPCB's Council informed the court that MPCB had directed REL to disconnect the power supply to the identified illegal units and supply to 50 had already been disconnected.

UNI ARM/ADG SSS SBJ PM2139