Mumbai Mirror deserves to be applauded for taking up the task of cleaning various parts of Mumbai with the help of the students and the municipal staff. For a lasting solution to this and other problems of Mumbai ( roads, water etc), we have to request the government to formulate a policy to involve people in each ward and even each road to interact with the ward officers and political representatives. There could be a meeting once a month and find a solution for each problem.
Pavements could be adopted by citizens and companies who stay and work there to keep it clean with the help of the municipal staff – bins for refuse, refuse collection very day and even provide clean kiosks/utensils to hawkers on small installments.
When I visited Germany a few years ago my neighbour who is a citizen now told me that every household the city has to keep the pavement in front of the house clean by sweeping and washing it with water. The pavement stall selling eatables had stainless steel utensils. It was fascinatingly clean. Banks can give loans to the hawkers for this purpose. If the people of Mumbai take the initiative, we can also do the same. If we have the will, we can find a way.
July 6,2011.
