Pune: Waste Pickers In Viman Nagar Lose Livelihood As PMC’s ‘Vishwas 2025’ Campaign Brings Door-to-Door Collection Vans
Pune: Waste Pickers In Viman Nagar Lose Livelihood As PMC’s ‘Vishwas 2025’ Campaign Brings Door-to-Door Collection Vans
Viman Nagar, Pune, September 11, 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) recently launched ‘Vishwas 2025’ campaign, aimed at improving waste collection and quality of work by including waste pickers, has ironically resulted in the abrupt loss of livelihood for many.
Bhikaji Londhe, a waste picker associated with SWaCH for the past seven years, had been collecting segregated wet and dry waste from 150 households in Rajiv Nagar South. From September 1, without any prior notice, PMC deployed its waste collection vans in the area. This forced Bhikaji out of work overnight, ending his steady monthly income of ₹25,000–30,000, which came from direct household payments and recycling.
Despite assurances given during a September 5 meeting between Commissioner and labour leader Dr. Baba Adhav that waste pickers would be included in the new system, PMC vans have replaced their work. Bhikaji shared his distress, saying he now returns daily with an empty cart, as residents are being instructed to hand over waste only to PMC vans, with warnings of penalties otherwise.
The move has jeopardized Bhikaji’s ability to repay a ₹2 lakh loan, fund his children’s education, and cover his mother’s medical expenses. SWaCH has warned that nearly 4,000 waste pickers across the city face a similar threat, urging the PMC to honour its promise of inclusion.
