Lalbaug footwear collection to be remade into shoes for children

BMC’s F-South ward says it collected nearly four metric tonnes of shoes, sandals and slippers left behind after Ganesh idol arrival processions in Lalbaug-Parel on August 29. The footwear will be remade into shoes for children.

Sanitation teams found the items at Parel Workshop, Bharatmata Junction, Chinchpokli and along Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road. During the overnight clean-up, the ward also removed about 12 tonnes of other waste using two dumpers, a tempo, a JCB and sanitation workers.

The ward has partnered with Green Sole Foundation, which will take the footwear to its Bhiwandi workshop. The foundation said usable soles will be processed and moulded into footwear in standard sizes for children in Classes 1 to 8.

The foundation estimates the first collection could produce footwear for about 50 to 100 children. The footwear is intended for schoolchildren from economically weaker families and people in tribal areas.

F-South ward, which covers major mandals including Lalbaug Ganpati, said it will continue collecting footwear through the Ganesh festival, which begins on September 14.