Nagpur’s promise of a clean city is going in tatters, thanks to widening gap in garbage removal. A spot visit on Tuesday revealed a sprawling garbage dump right on Deo Nagar road, in front of the MSEDCL office, Ajni, on the stretch towards Rahate Colony just steps away from a Hanuman Mandir. Heaps of rotting waste, discarded plastic bags, vegetable refuse and household trash lie scattered on the roadside. Huge concrete drainage pipes dumped months ago have now turned into a shield for the filth. The stench is unbearable, stray dogs and cattle feed on the waste, and the garbage has spilled onto the carriageway, forcing pedestrians into traffic.

 

What makes it worse is the location. Opposite the dump is the Hanuman Mandir, visited by hundreds of devotees daily, and around it are residential colonies. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s tall claims of daily garbage collection and ‘Swachh Bharat’ lie buried under this very heap. Residents are furious. Ashish Maske, who lives near to the dump site, said, “This dump has been here for weeks. NMC van comes irregularly, and sanitary workers just sweep the road and leave the garbage as it is. We cannot open our windows due to foul smell. Mosquitoes have increased and children are falling sick. We have complained to the zone office but no one acts.

 

The priest of the Hanuman Mandir opposite the site expressed anguish. “Devotees come here for peace, but they have to cover their noses. Flowers and prasad offered at the temple are placed opposite a garbage mountain. It is an insult to the deity and to faith. How can the administration be blind to this when the MSEDCL office is just in front?” said the temple priest. When contacted NMC official, said, we will clear that on first priority. and clean the waste dump on regular basis. Locals allege that after the blue tin barricading for ongoing work came up, people started using the blind spot to dump waste at night, and NMC has not cleaned it regularly. The Deo Nagar road is a busy link connecting Rahate Colony, Ajni and Khamla. Yet NMC’s apathy has turned a public road into a landfill. If Nagpur Municipal Corporation wants citizens to segregate waste, it must first show it can collect it.