''Hurts To See This'': Anand Mahindra On Video Of Garbage Dumping Near Gateway Of India

Industrialist Anand Mahindra, who is quite active on Twitter regularly posts about trending topics and engaging stories, for his 10.8 million followers. On Tuesday, he reacted to a viral video of people dumping trash into the sea near Gateway of India in Mumbai. The business tycoon expressed his anger and displeasure over the actions of people in the viral clip and blamed the careless civic attitude. Notably, the video shows two men emptying gunny bags containing trash- mainly flowers- in the Arabian Sea near the iconic structure in south Mumbai.

''It hurts just to see this. No amount of improvement in physical infrastructure can improve the city's quality of life if the civic attitude isn't transformed,'' he wrote on X on November 21. He also tagged the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Mumbai police.

See the tweet here:

It hurts just to see this. No amount of improvement in physical infrastructure can improve the city's quality of life if the civic attitude isn't transformed. @IqbalSinghChah2 @MumbaiPolice https://t.co/Efh0ssHQ3f

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) November 21, 2023

Based on the video clip that sparked outrage online, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai police launched a search for the man. He was traced and identified after tracking the taxi in which he had reached the Gateway of India, according to a release issued by the civic body. After tracing him, officials of the Solid Waste Management Department slapped a ₹ 10,000 penalty. 

The video drew strong reactions from internet users and public representatives who demanded action against the men. 

Reacting to Mr Mahindra's tweet, one person wrote, ''Absolutely, the soul of a city lies not just in its structures but in the mindset of its people. A collective shift in people's attitude, responsibility, and pride can truly elevate a city's quality of life. Here's to hoping for a positive change!''

Another commented, ''Easy access to properly dispose garbage should be arranged across all cities and people need to be educated via tv, social media and hoardings about waste disposal.Govt should spend enough resources to fix this the same way they did implementing UPI/digital payments.''

A third said, ''We punish traffic violation and possibly save 1 life per misdemeanor. But we let such violations in open public go Scott free. They endanger whole community/city and ultimately earth per misdemeanor. And there are countless ways it's done. It's high time there are strict n heavy fines on environmental offender.'' 

A fourth added, ''I completely agree with you. It's essential for individuals and the community to prioritize and foster a positive civic attitude for a better quality of life in the city.''