Rs 10,000 fine slapped on judges’ society for not segregating waste

The Bombay High Court judges, who are so keen to cleanse the society on a daily basis, have glaringly failed to cleanse their own backyard. Or at least, some of them have been found wanting in this respect. This is apparent from their apathy towards waste segregation in their own homes.

The BMC has issued a notice to Sarang society, where prominent judges reside, and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the society situated at Nariman Point. Along with Sarang, another important government entity is under the lens -- the power seat of Maharashtra, Mantralaya; so are some other prominent buildings where bureaucrats reside. They have been pulled up for not segregating dry and wet waste despite several warnings issued to them by the BMC. Incidentally, judges have not hesitated to slam the BMC for their apathy in providing amenities to the citizens of Mumbai.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of South Mumbai (A ward) Kiran Dighavkar remarked that the notices were issued recently after the inspection team found that these societies had not taken the warnings seriously.

"The buildings that were seen to be flouting the rules included the Sarang, Mantralaya, and the residential apartments where bureaucrats reside. They have failed to follow the orders of waste segregation.

Hence they have been fined under the provision of Section 368 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act,” Dighavkar told The Free Press Journal.

The notices and penalty seemed to have made an initial impact. “After the notices were issued, a few officials approached the BMC claiming that they will follow the rules while a few sought an extension," he added.The BMC issued notices on Tuesday to 141 societies and buildings found to be flouting their notice, including the BMC canteen situated within its headquarters.