'Clean- up' drive gets a makeover

The much controversial 'Clean- Up Mumbai' scheme is soon coming to the city with a new version and attitude.

In an attempt to keep the city clean, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) has decided to revive the earlier clean- up scheme. However, keeping in mind the earlier loopholes that led to failure of the scheme, the civic body has incorporated some changes in the scheme, which is going to be implemented in the city probably from next month.

The conduct of clean- up marshals, who were entrusted with the responsibility of fining offenders caught littering the city, was the most contentious issue of the earlier scheme.

This time around, the civic body has decided to impart training to these marshals on etiquette. " We had earlier received a lot of complaints from people about the rude behaviour of marshals with people.

The BMC will now train these marshals on how to behave with people while charging them a fine," a senior civic official said. The training will be given by civic officials, he added.

The other important feature of the new scheme is that the maximum fine has been brought down from Rs 20,000 to Rs 10,000. In addition to this, the marshals will have limited powers in the scheme, with civic ward officers having a major say in slapping fine. While collecting a highest fine of Rs 10,000, the marshals have to seek the approval of ward officers concerned, the official said.

Though the civic body has kept the other formats of the former scheme more or less same, it has decided to slap restrictions on marshals in order to reduce corruption.

Around 30 per cent of marshals in the ward will supervise at locations selected only by the ward officer. "There were allegations about marshals trying to extort money by standing at selected places like outside clinics and construction sites. However, now they will follow directives of civic officials in this regard," the official said.

In the new set up, there will 25 to 30 marshals in each ward and one private agency will not get more than five wards to man. But sharing of revenues will be based on the earlier formula, with the agency sharing 50 per cent of revenue collection with the civic body.

The BMC had scrapped the earlier clean- up scheme in December last year after corporators dubbed it a total failure. Launched in 2007, the civic body had appointed several private agencies to keep city clean.

The marshals of these agencies were authorized to fine people who litter or spit on the roads or public places. The civic body will be issuing Expression of Interest from private agencies in a couple of days.