Mineral water bottles, food items dumped at Azad Maidan; BMC begins clean up after stir

Mumbai, Sep 2 (PTI) Hours after Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange ended his hunger strike on Tuesday evening and left Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, large quantities of mineral water bottles and food items were found strewn inside and outside the protest site.

After Maratha quota protesters dispersed from the site, which had witnessed a five-day agitation, some activists tried to distribute the leftover food -- sent by community members from across Maharashtra -- among local residents and others passing by the area.

Still, a significant amount of food remained inside Azad Maidan and at a couple of locations outside it till late in the night.

Heaps of mineral water bottles were lying inside and outside the protest site, and some people were seen picking them up.

A World Maratha Organisation activist told PTI that they planned to distribute the remaining bottles to patients at government hospitals in Mumbai.

Unlike Monday, the square outside Mumbai CSMT station and the adjoining roads were much cleaner. However, heaps of garbage, including leftover food items, mineral water bottles, wrappers, paper plates, and cups, were still seen.

A Maratha community activist said they would have cleaned the site, but protestors from outside Mumbai had already left, and local members had dispersed due to Ganpati immersion.

BMC officials said civic teams would clean the roads and Azad Maidan overnight. PTI KK RSY