NGT asks Pune Zilla Parishad, Bhugaon, and Bhukum Gram Panchayat to file affidavits over sewage discharge in Ramnadi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked Pune Zilla Parishad, Bhugaon Gram Panchayat, and Bhukum Gram Panchayat to file affidavits in relation to the petition filed for indiscriminate sewage discharge in the Ramnadi River and restitution of the river. 

The NGT has asked the parties to respond within four weeks to the ongoing hearing on the restitution of the Ramnadi.

As per information shared by Adv Krunnal Gharre, the applicant in the case, this matter was brought to the NGT by Krunnal Gharre for restitution of Ramnadi that flows through major residential hubs of Pune and unfortunately is dubbed as ‘gutter’. The matter already has the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) as respondents. Gharre had personally walked through the entire stretch of the river and identified over 34 locations where sewage was getting discharged. 15 of these locations fall in the jurisdiction of the newly added parties.

The NGT’s decision is a significant step in the fight to clean up the Ramnadi, the cleaning of Ramnadi will be a source of pride for Pune and a template for river cleaning for all rivers in Maharashtra. Gharre has vowed to continue his fight until all sewage discharge into the river is stopped.

Adv Krunnal Gharre said, “I will not be satisfied until every spot discharging the sewage is stopped, it hurts to have a river with a name as pure as Ram in as bad a shape as this. It’s nothing short of criminal negligence. PMC has already started working on new pipelines and construction of the new STP plant near Pashan Lake, but the sewage discharge in Baner, Pashan, and Sutwarwadi still continues. Bhugaon is responsible for discharging millions of liters of sewage into the Ramnadi for years. How is it possible that no one noticed this?”

Gharre added that if the authorities continue to ignore the matter it may result in negative remarks on the service records of the authorities and will be an embarrassment to the respective local bodies and that he would hate to see such a thing happen. “I have provided the authorities with the GPS locations of all spots where discharge is happening, I have given them everything on a platter, all they have to do is act on it. If the authorities stop all sewage from discharging into the Ramnadi and set up a process that prevents it from happening in the future. The ball is in their court.” he said.

Shreyas Vange