From Water Tankers To Toilets: BMC Deploys Massive Civic Machinery To Manage Azad Maidan During Maratha Quota Stir

The Maratha quota protest, centred at Azad Maidan near CSMT in south Mumbai, with thousands of supporters of Manoj Jarange Patil taking a ride across the city, the BMC has a humongous task to ensure the premises are sanitised enough before the first working day of the week begins. Lakhs of office-goers are set to throng south Mumbai from early Monday morning. 

Sanitation Drive

The BMC has deployed atleast 800 staff from the solid waste management (SWM), to clean the Azad Maidan and it's premises. As the civic body, the BMC has also provided basic health and sanitation facilities for the protestors, including 25 tankers of drinking water. The water tankers are deployed at Azad Maidan, BMC Road, CSMT, Hutatma Chowk, Bombay Gymkhana, Haj House, Marine Drive Police Station, Air India Building, as well as Yellow Gate, Sewri area on Eastern Freeway, Cotton Green Vehicle Terminal and Vashi Naka.

Toilet Facilities

While at Azad Maidan and its surroundings, more than 300 toilets, both fixed and mobile, are available free of cost to the protesters. "Workers are deployed to clean the toilets and well as 800 SWM workers are deployed who are continuously maintaining cleanliness," the BMC officials said.

Waste Management

The corporation is also distributing a large number of garbage bags to the protesters for waste collection. The authorities are continuously appealing the protesters to put the waste in dustbins and/or hand it over to the municipal employees deployed.

Medical Preparedness

Considering the number of protesters, a 24-hour medical aid room has been set up at Azad Maidan area, where four medical teams and two ambulance are deployed. A medical team has also been appointed in the area from BMC-run Nair Hospital. In case of emergency, patients will be referred to GT Hospital, Nair Hospital, Cama Hospital and Bombay Hospital. On behalf of the state government, a team from JJ Hospital has also been appointed in the Azad Maidan area.

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Safety Measures

Notably, a protestor lost his life on Saturday evening. Identified as Vijay Ghogre, hailing from Latur district, the protestors died due to cardiac arrest. He was taken to GT hospital, where he was declared dead. In the last two days, St George has seen more than 100 protestors coming with for ailments like headaches, body pain, flu etc.

Civic facilities provided by BMC to protestors

• 800 sanitation workers for cleaning Azad Maidan and nearby areas 

• 24 water tankers

• 300 toilets

• Healthcare center, medical teams from Nair and JJ hospital 

• Two ambulances

• Muddy ground levelling by gravels