Lions Club's Rs 5 cr proposal to clean Juhu beach
MUMBAI: A Rs two crore proposal to clean up the Juhu beach has been submitted by Lions Club International to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
.According to Kulwant Singh Kohli, sheriff of Mumbai and a member of Lions Club, the proposal includes cleaning up of the beach, providing separate space for licensed hawkers, removal of non-licensed hawkers and eviction of the horse carts. "We will try to make Juhu beach just like the beaches in the West. We too have a right to enjoy a clean environment," Kohli said.
Claiming that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BMC was merely a formality, he said the clean-up operation will start soon after the rains and will be completed within three months. Said Kohli, Santosh Shetty, former district governor and member of Lions Club International, had held negotiations with the BMC. "He also managed to get funds allocated from the Lions' parent body abroad for the purpose," the sheriff pointed out.
The proposal includes the provision of aseparate hawking zone for licensed hawkers. "No hawker will be allowed to sell things if he's not in the area earmarked for hawking," Kohli explained, adding, "The unlicensed hawkers who roam around with their wares will be made to leave the beach premises." The horse carts on the beach will also be a thing of the past. "Not only do they pollute the beach, they are also a health hazard. Just like the camel rides were stopped, these too will be stopped," he said.
Once the initial work is completed, the Lions Club plans to start an awareness campaign to maintain cleanliness of the beach. The maintenance plan will include asking the nearby hotels to adopt a part of the beach.
"These hotels will be asked to keep their area clean, plant trees and beautify the place," Kohli said. Another step will be to give away hoardings to companies in return for keeping the beach clean. "We will, however, require the BMC's assistance to maintain cleanliness. They will be responsible for clean drinking water and disposal ofsewage generated on the beach," Kohli added.
However, BMC officials claimed they had no intimation of such a proposal. "We haven't been officially approached by anyone with such a proposal," said municipal commissioner Girish Gokhale. "Last year, former police chief Julio Ribeiro approached us with a request to use the assistance of school children to keep the beach clean. We gave permission for that. Other than that, there have been no proposals," he said.
"We also give maintenance of the beach to private parties in lieu of hoardings. These companies are then responsible for maintaining cleanliness of that area of the beach. For quite some time, we have given the contract to George Gopali & Co," Gokhale said.
Additional municipal commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, who oversees cleaning operations in the city, pointed out: "We have invited bids from companies for hoardings. Other than that, we haven't given permission to any other company for cleaning the beach."
.According to Kulwant Singh Kohli, sheriff of Mumbai and a member of Lions Club, the proposal includes cleaning up of the beach, providing separate space for licensed hawkers, removal of non-licensed hawkers and eviction of the horse carts. "We will try to make Juhu beach just like the beaches in the West. We too have a right to enjoy a clean environment," Kohli said.
Claiming that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BMC was merely a formality, he said the clean-up operation will start soon after the rains and will be completed within three months. Said Kohli, Santosh Shetty, former district governor and member of Lions Club International, had held negotiations with the BMC. "He also managed to get funds allocated from the Lions' parent body abroad for the purpose," the sheriff pointed out.
The proposal includes the provision of aseparate hawking zone for licensed hawkers. "No hawker will be allowed to sell things if he's not in the area earmarked for hawking," Kohli explained, adding, "The unlicensed hawkers who roam around with their wares will be made to leave the beach premises." The horse carts on the beach will also be a thing of the past. "Not only do they pollute the beach, they are also a health hazard. Just like the camel rides were stopped, these too will be stopped," he said.
Once the initial work is completed, the Lions Club plans to start an awareness campaign to maintain cleanliness of the beach. The maintenance plan will include asking the nearby hotels to adopt a part of the beach.
"These hotels will be asked to keep their area clean, plant trees and beautify the place," Kohli said. Another step will be to give away hoardings to companies in return for keeping the beach clean. "We will, however, require the BMC's assistance to maintain cleanliness. They will be responsible for clean drinking water and disposal ofsewage generated on the beach," Kohli added.
However, BMC officials claimed they had no intimation of such a proposal. "We haven't been officially approached by anyone with such a proposal," said municipal commissioner Girish Gokhale. "Last year, former police chief Julio Ribeiro approached us with a request to use the assistance of school children to keep the beach clean. We gave permission for that. Other than that, there have been no proposals," he said.
"We also give maintenance of the beach to private parties in lieu of hoardings. These companies are then responsible for maintaining cleanliness of that area of the beach. For quite some time, we have given the contract to George Gopali & Co," Gokhale said.
Additional municipal commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, who oversees cleaning operations in the city, pointed out: "We have invited bids from companies for hoardings. Other than that, we haven't given permission to any other company for cleaning the beach."
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