Afroz Shah

Thackeray

Vishwanath Mahadeshwar

Ajoy Mehta

Sena Bhavan

Want to assure @UNEP Head @ErikSolheim whom I first met when he mediated in Sri Lanka crisis that @AfrozShah1 & volunteers, not only have support from him & the intl community, but also of @MoHUA_India & millions of #swachhagrahis. His work also lauded by PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/kMblczvgXB — Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) November 23, 2017

Thanks so much @HardeepSPuri for your important support to this great work and cause! https://t.co/JRcqb2wete — Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) November 23, 2017

Three days after suspending his beach clean-up drive at Versova, lawyer, the talismanic, much-feted spearhead of the citizen’s initiative, met Yuva Sena chief Adityaand mayorat the BMC headquarters on Wednesday evening. A meeting with, the civic body’s chief, however, did not materialise.Shah told Mirror that Thackeray had called him to find out why he had suspended the drive. “I discussed the issues with him, and he has assured us of all possible support. The mayor and BMC officials, too, have promised us assistance. It was a positive meeting and I thank Aditya for supporting us.”The Shiv Sena said that it would work at increasing police presence at the beach during Shah’s clean-up drive, which takes place on weekends. It also said that its activists would ensure they were no hindrances in the form of goons, who, according to Shah, heckle and abuse volunteers of the citizen’s initiative.“We will speak to the police and ask them to ensure the safety of the volunteers. I have also asked the mayor to fast-track tenders for the new contract (for garbage collection) and extend the BMC’s services during the citizen’s drive. If needed we will deploy Sainiks during the clean-up drive, too,” Thackeray, who first met Shah atin Dadar and then subsequently at the BMC headquarters, told Mumbai Mirror. Sena functionaries said that the party wanted to ensure that Shah’s grievances were heard, since he had alleged ‘administrative apathy’ on the BMC’s part as among the reasons for shutting down his drive.“Shah said the BMC was not doing its job. The fact is the BMC is cleaning up the beach for the rest of the week when Shah and his volunteers don’t turn up. So we suggested that he have a frank chat with the mayor,” said a senior Sena leader.Shah started the Versova weekend cleanup in 2015. The clean-up drive, one of the world’s biggest citizen initiatives, has rid the 2.7-km beach of 5 million kg of garbage so far.On November 19, Shah tweeted that he was halting the drive, alleging that a few “goons” had verbally abused him and other volunteers. “Week 109 clean-up. Volunteers abused by goons for picking up garbage. Administrative lethargy, nonclearance of picked up garbage, and abuses is what we are facing. Largest beach clean-up is suspended...” he wrote.While Shah hasn’t declared if he would resume his drive this weekend, experts, civic officials and politicians said such initiatives were not sustainable and that Mumbai needed a collaborative effort to preserve its seaside stretches. According to them, a close partnership between local residents, the BMC, non-profit groups and ragpickers would prove to be more effective. Such an arrangement is already under underway at Juhu Beach.Waste management expert Rishi Agarwal said Shah and other volunteers should have developed a more effective cleaning process. “The fact that there is trash on the beach even after 109 weeks shows there’s a breakdown in the process. Citizens cannot keep cleaning the beach forever. Weekend drives are welcome, but they are not sustainable in the long run,” Agarwal said.“The BMC cleans the Versova beach five days a week, so why not tie up with them, NGOs and other stakeholders for a new mechanism,” he added. BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri lauded Afroz Shah and told him through a tweet that he has many supporters including Erik Solheim, the head of UN Enviornment.Erik Solheim also joined him and replied saying, "Thanks so much Hardeep S Puri for your important support to this great work and cause!"