Punawale residents troubled with the PCMC solid waste management project

By: Pune Pulse

October 24, 2023

Pune: Residents of Punawale area worried over the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have decided to set up a Solid Waste Management Project in Punawale.

Sushant Lobhe, a resident of Punawale said, “We are residents of Punawale (Pimpri Chinchwad) and are very concerned about the decision taken by the PCMC regarding the construction of solid waste management project in Punawale. Presently, the Punawale area is heavily urbanized and it is still going on. More than 1 lakh citizens are currently living in Punawale, the natural environment and the neighboring Hinjewadi IT Park are the reason why they like to live here. But it is now seen that the time of deterioration due to the solid waste management project is upon us. This may pose a serious health issue as the proposed solid waste management project is located at a very short distance (200 – 400 m) from many residential societies.”

Lobhe further stated that when the solid waste management project was sanctioned in 2008, there was not much urbanization but now a large number of housing projects, educational institutions, and hospitals have been built here. The proposed solid waste management project could seriously impact all of these.

Besides, the natural beauty will be destroyed as the proposed solid waste management project is planned to be built right next to the forest which will cause a lot of natural damage. The proposed solid waste management project is in the western direction. Winds always blow from west to east and hence it is highly likely to affect already developed areas like Wakad, Tathawade, Hinjewadi IT Park, Marunji, Mumbai Pune Highway along Punawale.

Dattatray Deshmukh, Chairman, Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation, said “PCMC states that residential societies must dispose of the garbage inside the society premises. Then why there is a need for a garbage dumping ground is the bigger question. In the area where this dumping ground is proposed by the PCMC, all residential societies are nearby. Hence, the PCMC must rethink their decision about the dumping ground. Instead of this, a garden + water purification plant, just like in Nigdi, must be done at the western side of the PCMC. The water issues will end. I had suggested in a meeting that cluster wise garbage segregation must be done. There are several private companies which use garbage to produce energy resources. Why doesn’t the PCMC do a similar thing? It doesn’t require much space either. Only 5 odd acres of space is enough. Currently, that land in Punawale, where a garbage dumping ground is planned, belongs to the Forest Department. The government will take it in their possession for which proposal is submitted. After acquiring the land, instead of even using it for dumping ground, the government might sell it to a private builder.”

Lobhe further requests that considering all these factors & the citizens of Punawale and nearby, this solid waste management project coming up in the Punawale area should be canceled so that the lives of all the citizens will not be endangered.

Shreyas Vange