“Clean South Mumbai Doesn’t Mean the City Is Clean”: Bombay High Court Raps BMC Over Garbage Crisis

The Bombay High Court told BMC that clean South Mumbai doesn't mean the whole city is clean, citing no improvement

October 8, 2026

Is This Mumbai %E2%80%94 High Court Slams BMC Over Garbage Beyond South Mumbai — "Is this Mumbai?" — High Court slams BMC over garbage beyond South Mumbai

Hearing follows earlier orders demanding an SOP and a list of officers accountable in each ward

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for failing to maintain adequate cleanliness and hygiene across the city, telling the civic body that clean pockets of South Mumbai and Worli do not mean the entire city is clean.

The remarks came from Justice Girish Kulkarni‘s bench, which told the BMC that it had seen no improvement despite earlier orders directing the corporation to ensure every corner of the city looked clean. When the BMC’s counsel submitted that the civic body was regularly monitoring cleanliness, the court was unconvinced. “Only because Worli, Nariman Point or South Bombay is clean doesn’t mean entire Mumbai is clean,” Justice Kulkarni said.

Specific wards flagged

The bench pointed to particular areas of concern, naming the K West, K North and K South wards and parts of Malad, and said the BMC would have to look into conditions in those areas. The court also said that ensuring all wards are clean is the responsibility of the corporation, and remarked that it should “only take a day to clean it properly,” asking, “Is this Mumbai?” The bench said it hoped for a city where residents themselves would use bins rather than throw garbage in public spaces.

A hearing in a longer series

Wednesday’s remarks follow a string of similar hearings in recent weeks. On September 10, a bench headed by Justice Kulkarni and Justice Neela Gokhale said “everywhere there is only filth” and warned of action against BMC officers, directing the corporation to submit a standard operating procedure and a list of officials responsible for cleanliness in each ward. The court at that stage also asked the BMC to put in place stricter garbage-segregation measures and suggested involving social media influencers in cleanliness drives, as well as considering fines and prosecution for littering.

The court has also stressed that responsibility does not rest with the civic body alone. In an earlier hearing in August, a bench said it was unacceptable for citizens to keep generating excessive waste while expecting the BMC to keep the city clean around the clock, and ordered immediate action on garbage dumping in the Nal Bazaar area of South Mumbai. The proceedings arise from petitions on garbage accumulation on roads and beaches and on pollution linked to the Kanjurmarg dumping ground.

Mumbai generates around 6,900 metric tonnes of garbage a day, according to BMC solid waste figures cited in earlier reporting. The BMC has maintained that it monitors cleanliness regularly across wards.

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.