After Afroz Shah suspended the Versova beach clean-up initiative, citing that he received abuses, threats from goons and lack of help from the BMC workers to pick up the waste, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stepped in and assured Shah of hearing out his grievances. Shah took to Twitter and announced his decision of ending the beach clean-up initiative.
.https://twitter.com/AfrozShah1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AfrozShah1 , Versova activist meets CM https://twitter.com/Dev_Fadnavis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dev_Fadnavis in https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mumbai?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mumbai
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) https://twitter.com/CMOMaharashtra/status/933627657190862848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">23 November 2017
CM praised Afroz for his contribution in https://twitter.com/swachhbharat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@swachhbharat Abhiyan by cleaning beaches and assured him all the support from Government ! https://t.co/1SWnBfC3de">pic.twitter.com/1SWnBfC3de
Week 109 cleanup.Volunteers abused by goons for picking up garbage.Administrative lethargy,non clearance of picked up garbage and abuses is what we are https://t.co/ydEzp638C6">https://t.co/ydEzp638C6 largest beach cleanup is suspended.Tried my best and I failed.Forgive me my ocean and my country. https://t.co/XdFJMfZNeV">pic.twitter.com/XdFJMfZNeV
— Afroz Shah (@AfrozShah1) https://twitter.com/AfrozShah1/status/932148147328921600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">19 November 2017
Post his tweet, a lot of netizens along with Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri showed him support on Twitter.
Deeply concerned about attack on https://twitter.com/AfrozShah1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AfrozShah1 & his volunteers by criminal elements. Took this up with https://twitter.com/CMOMaharashtra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMOMaharashtra Was assured that instructions had already been issued to municipal & https://twitter.com/MumbaiPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MumbaiPolice authorities to give all help.This service to the nation must go on. https://t.co/HHSrFfK5lK">pic.twitter.com/HHSrFfK5lK
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri/status/932973768695095296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">21 November 2017
Right after the tweet, CMO ordered Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to clean up the waste which was piled up on Versova beach. Following the orders, the civic officials then picked up the waste.
MLA Bharti Lavekar too stepped in and had organised a meeting with civic officials and Shah. Lavekar assured that every week, BMC officials will pick up the waste.
In the longer run, we need a comprehensive marine litter policy for Mumbai, and a waste-to-energy plant to treat garbage from the beach. The existing contract must be scrapped and a new contractor should be appointed on the lines of marine litter policy."
Afroz Shah.
AFROZ'S DEMANDS
36-year-old lawyer Afroz Shah started cleaning up the Versova beach in 2015 and in the span of mere two years, Shah changed the Versova beach making it clean and tidy. Even PM of India Narendra Modi acknowledged his work and congratulated him for the same. Until now, he has cleared Versova beach by picking up 5 million waste.
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