Pune Municipal Corporation addresses forest land concerns in Riverfront Development Project
Pune Municipal Corporation addresses forest land concerns in Riverfront Development Project
Amid ongoing criticism of the Riverfront Development (RFD) project along the Mutha River, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has confirmed that 11.09 hectares of forest land will be affected by the initiative. In compensation, an equal amount of barren land in Purandar taluka will be allocated to the Forest department.
Prithviraj B P, Additional Municipal Commissioner of PMC, revealed in a proposal last week that the affected forest land lies between Ghorpadi and Vadgaon Sheri villages. The RFD project extends from Bund Garden to Mundhwa bridges, encompassing a 44-kilometer stretch that includes 22.2 kilometers of Mula River, 10.4 kilometers of Mutha River, and 11.8 kilometers of Mula-Mutha River.
The project aims to address the degradation of these rivers, primarily caused by urbanization and untreated sewage. With a budget of Rs. 5,500 crores, the RFD project seeks to clean the rivers, improve water retention, and construct embankments. It also includes an interceptor sewer line to redirect sewage to treatment plants.
The development covers 82 lakh square meters, with a green belt of 29.70 lakh square meters. The green belt, which initially had 22,150 trees, will see the removal of 11,000 trees, for which PMC planned to transplant 11,150 trees, as declared in January 2024.
