Nagpur High Court Bench Blasts Municipal Corporation Over Mounting Garbage Crisis
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court delivered a scathing critique of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Thursday, highlighting severe sanitation failures across the city. The bench pointedly remarked that the civic body's slogan of "Swachh Nagpur, Sundar Nagpur" has remained merely a slogan rather than a reality.
Judicial Intervention Triggered by Media Exposé
The court took serious note of media reports that exposed garbage-choked neighborhoods throughout Nagpur. These reports documented foul-smelling waste heaps in multiple localities including Mahal, Ramnagar, Trimurti Nagar, and Dhantoli—areas where civic authorities had previously claimed cleanliness achievements.
Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakhode, presiding over the bench, decided that judicial intervention was warranted. They ordered that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) be registered on the sanitation issue and indicated that citizens might soon be invited to submit complaints zone-wise through dedicated WhatsApp numbers.
Systematic Neglect Across City Neighborhoods
A comprehensive city round-up conducted across numerous areas—including Ramdaspeth, Ganeshpeth, Sitabuldi, Subhash Nagar, IT Park Road, Bharat Nagar, Sakkardara, and Chitnispura—revealed that garbage accumulation was "not by accident but by sustained neglect," according to the court's observations.
The bench appointed advocate Yashovardhan Sambare to draft the PIL and granted a two-week period for its formal filing. This judicial action comes despite the NMC spending over ₹8 crore monthly—approximately ₹100 crore annually—on garbage collection and transportation through two private firms.
Infrastructure Shortfalls and Official Claims
With Nagpur's population exceeding 35 lakh residents across nearly 5.75 lakh households, sanitation experts estimate that at least 550 garbage collection vehicles are needed daily. However, residents complain that fewer than 450 vehicles are available, with approximately 10% typically off-road for repairs, leading to irregular doorstep collection services.
Municipal officials maintain that inspections are currently underway across all zones in preparation for Swachh Survekshan 2025. These inspections reportedly focus on wall painting, removal of construction debris, park upkeep, and door-to-door collection efficiency.
Discrepancy Between Claims and Ground Reality
The administration asserts that 1,300–1,400 tonnes of waste are processed daily and that segregation at source is mandatory. Officials also claim that the Bhandewadi dumping yard will soon show no visible waste heaps.
However, the court observed that on the ground, busy roads and dense residential neighborhoods remain buried under mounting waste heaps, casting serious doubt on official claims. The visible gap between administrative assertions and street-level reality prompted the judicial bench to conclude that immediate intervention was necessary to address Nagpur's sanitation crisis.
