"Earlier, garbage would accumulate on the roads for days on end. Now we make it a point to report it to the ward officer and see to it that action is taken immediately," says V K Lalla, a dignitarian. Such persistent chasing initially did annoy the officials, but now things are different.

"We are not only serving our own people but also doing the job of the BMC. The BMC chowkies lacked even basic amenities. Which again we succeeded in bringing it for them, by taking up the issue with the senior authorities," says B Ranganathan, a dignitarian.

All these seniors have regular meetings on everyWednesday between six and seven pm. After bringing up an issue and discussing it amongst themselves, they put forth the problems to the ward office. "The BMC staff and the senior officers been very co-operative. Now we have made so many rounds to the place that even the sweeper there knows us," says W K Phadnis, also know as `Anna' Phadnis amongst the BMC staff.

Ask them what they want to achieve through their undaunted service, and pat comes the reply, "A clean and healthy Mulund to live in". They plan to achieve this by propagating segregation of waste at source and adoption of vermiculture.

And what is it that keeps them going? Well, they say the answer lies in their motto "Success does not give us happiness. Failure does not give us pain".