BMC fines RPF ₹1,000 for burning old documents outside Churchgate station | File Photo
Mumbai: The BMC has imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the Western Railway Protection Force for openly burning a heap of old paper records just outside Churchgate station—an act that added to air pollution in the area. This is the third such penalty on a government agency since BMC hiked the fine for open waste burning from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000.
Sources said that old documents were found burning within the Churchgate railway station building on Tuesday evening, releasing thick white smoke into the already polluted air. A small pickup truckload of documents was set on fire in two iron trays on the west side of the Churchgate station building.
A senior civic official said, “After receiving a complaint about the open burning of old documents, our team visited the site. The fire was extinguished, and a penalty of Rs 1,000 was imposed for the violation.”
Meanwhile, the Railway officials stated that the incident is being taken seriously. They added that precautionary measures will be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future. Earlier this month, the BMC fined BEST Bus Depot staff near Goregaon Railway Station for burning waste in the open. The BMC had also imposed a Rs 1,000 penalty on a contractor for burning trash at a site for a MHADA project in Goregaon.
Open garbage burning not only contributes to air pollution but also poses serious environmental and public health risks. To combat this issue, the BMC had increased the fine tenfold from April 1. The civic body will also establish a dedicated squad in each administrative ward to monitor and prevent instances of open garbage burning, ensuring stricter compliance with environmental regulations.
