Civic body to monitor illegal debris dumping in real-time

MUMBAI: The civic body’s disaster management department will soon monitor live feeds from CCTV cameras across the city to keep illegal debris dumping, unauthorised installation of banners and digging of roads, and mangrove hacking in check

Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani, last week directed the disaster management department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to spot locations in Mumbai which frequently witness such incidents and install cameras there Some of these locations include creeks, mangrove patches, gardens and open spaces

“Until now, BMC has reacted to citizens’ complaints received on social media, as well as on the civic body’s helpline number 1916 We want to pro-actively utilise the CCTV cameras installed across the city to prevent illegal activities, as civic amenities contribute in a big way in deciding the standard of living,” said Kakani

The disaster management department will monitor the feed from its control room at all times The department has a video wall, where visuals captured by the cameras across the city are displayed

The department’s staff will be decided on a rotational basis for the task

The disaster management department will, however, not be in-charge of taking action against the violators

If the on-duty staff spots anybody committing an illegal activity, the ward concerned will be intimated immediately

Based on their alerts, the civic body officials will decide on the action

The disaster management department has also begun to make at least 10 calls to citizens on a random basis, to ask if they are satisfied with the action taken by BMC on their complaint

Every day, the civic body receives hundreds of complaints on garbage dumping, unclean public places, and encroachments After the complaints are addressed by the department concerned, BMC sends out a reply with updated images of the area on its social media pages

A senior civic official said, “About 65% of the citizens whom we call for feedback tell us that they are satisfied with the corporation’s response and action This has prompted BMC staff members to ensure that every complaint is addressed and resolved properly”