We Are Not Garbage! Govandi-Deonar Residents Demand to Rename ‘Kachra Depot Road’

Govandi-Deonar, Mumbai:  Residents of Mumbai’s Govandi and Deonar areas have written to the Urban Development Department and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), urging them to officially rename ‘Kachra Depot Road,’ a label they consider derogatory and humiliating. The road, located near Kamla Raman Nagar and Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society, does not appear in BMC’s official records, yet it shows up on platforms like Google Maps as ‘Dumping Road’ or ‘Kachra Depot Road.’

Locals, especially the youth, say the name is a constant source of embarrassment and reduces their identity to "garbage."

On April 8, the Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum (GCWF) sent an email to BMC and the Urban Development Department, highlighting the psychological, social, and developmental harm caused by this unofficial label. They proposed three alternate names for the road:

1. Sangam Society Road
   

2. Kamla Raman Nagar Road
   

3. Haji Niyaz Ahmed Azmi Marg in honor of the father of current MLA Abu Asim Azmi, who contributed significantly to the development of the area.
   

GCWF argues that the current name violates Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to live with dignity. They also urged BMC to survey all unnamed roads in M East Ward to prevent such stigmatizing names in the future.

Local resident and IT engineer Ghulam Gaus said,

“Our locality already suffers due to the dumping ground and bio-medical waste treatment plant. Associating our identity with garbage further damages our image. We are more than the waste Mumbai sends here.”

Another resident, student Shamshuddin Shaikh, added,

“Even while booking a cab, ‘Kachra Depot Road’ appears as the address. It’s frustrating. Changing the name officially will help correct it across platforms.”

Faiyaz Alam Shaikh, president of the Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society, stated,

“This isn’t just a name change

it’s a fight for dignity, equal treatment, and ensuring that the next generation doesn't grow up under a label of garbage.”

According to MLA Rais Shaikh, the renaming of a road follows the procedure laid out in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. Since there are currently no elected corporators, the municipal commissioner (administrator) has the authority to approve such proposals.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner Ujwal Ingole (M East Ward) responded,

“I am unaware of the issue, but if residents have written to the commissioner, it will be looked into. Unofficial names can stick over time, but citizens are always welcome to suggest official names.”