Pune : PMC commissioner to monitor all civic projects; conduct site visits

Pune is facing a serious problem with sewage being dumped straight into the Mula Mutha River, which pollutes the water body severely. The city’s new municipal commissioner, Dr Rajendra Bhosale, is working to put an end to this. On March 15, Bhosale, an IAS officer from the 2008 batch, was named civic chief prior to the release of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections. He is Vikram Kumar’s successor. He said that site inspections of all the development projects will take place, and the exercise will start next week.

PMC Commissioner also talked about how PMC plans to finish the project by March 2025 and the installation of sewage treatment plants (STPs). He said that the Central government had allocated Rs 43 crore for the Sewage Treatment Plant of the Mula-Mutha Purification Project, despite the fervour surrounding the Lok Sabha elections. As a result, the project can move more quickly. The civic chief added that the project will get a ‘booster’ if another fund of Rs 60 crore is received. By enhancing sewage collection systems and sewage treatment facilities in the PMC areas, the project seeks to improve the quality of the water in the Mula, Mutha, and other rivers.

The Central Government has given the PMC Rs 213 crore so far for the STP project. Furthermore, the Centre has set aside Rs 43.17 crore for this project, even as the Lok Sabha elections are in progress. The civic organization has submitted a request for an additional Rs 60 crore for the project to the central government in the interim. The PMC Commissioner stated that if funds totalling Rs 60 crore are received by the end of March, the project work will receive a boost. A total of 122 nullahs have been identified in the city after analyzing the data thus far. He will make sure that all development projects are under supervision by conducting site inspections starting next week.