Mumbai: Bhiwandi’s long-neglected waste management crisis has finally pushed the Maharashtra government into action, with Industries Minister Uday Samant announcing that the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation will be directed to submit a fresh solid-waste management plan in accordance with National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines. The announcement came during a heated discussion triggered by a calling-attention motion moved by Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Sheikh.
Sheikh sharply criticised the civic body for what he called “two decades of non-existent waste management”, noting that the city still has no authorised dumping ground. He pointed out that for nearly 20 years, municipal waste has been dumped openly on unfenced land, without any treatment facility, processing plant or basic environmental safeguards. According to him, the unregulated dumping has led to toxic smoke, recurring fires and severe health risks for almost two lakh residents living around the site.
Responding to these concerns, Minister Samant acknowledged that the situation in Bhiwandi has reached dangerous proportions. He admitted that the current dumping site lies close to residential pockets, making it a direct threat to public health. Samant assured the Assembly that he would immediately instruct officials to identify suitable land for a new dumping ground and asked the divisional commissioner to visit Bhiwandi at the earliest to hold a review meeting with local authorities.
MLA Sheikh, however, said years of public protests and repeated assurances from the municipal corporation had brought “zero relief” to the affected communities. He argued that the civic body has ignored court directives and failed to honour commitments regarding waste processing and environmental safety. As a long-term measure, Sheikh suggested establishing a common NGT-compliant waste disposal facility for multiple localities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which he said could help resolve chronic mismanagement and reduce the burden on individual municipalities.
