Ramtekdi industrial estate members to meet PMC with proof of garbage dumping

PUNE: The Ramtekdi Industrial Estate’s initiative to install cameras to catch the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the action of illegally dumping garbage on their industrial plots has proven successful

PUNE: The Ramtekdi Industrial Estate’s initiative to install cameras to catch the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the action of illegally dumping garbage on their industrial plots has proven successful. The residents and members of the industrial estate will tomorrow meet Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials, including municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar, solid waste management department head Ajeet Deshmukh, and additional municipal commissioner (estate) Kunal Khemnar with proof that the garbage is being dumped inside the estate by trucks belonging to the PMC itself.

HT Image

Residents and members of Ramtekdi Industrial Estate were forced to take such action after they did not get any response despite writing several times to the PMC solid waste department about the alleged garbage dumping inside the estate. According to Shenaz Chawla of Pune Waste Warriors, a non-profit committed to cleaning up India, “There is continuous dumping of garbage which has accumulated to mountainous proportions, which is very destructive and hazardous for the industrial estate.” The only good outcome of the constant complaints was to bring citizens together to help catch the PMC in the action of dumping garbage on live CCTV footage. According to citizens, the amount of garbage brought in trucks is never-ending with almost 40,000 tonne of garbage having accumulated inside the estate.

The industrial estate has over 140 companies and there are also some residences nearby that are affected by the garbage dumping. Rajesh Bhojwani, who owns a unit in the estate said, “We had a meeting with Vikram Kumar who stated the problems but was also very constructive and suggested constituting a citizen and civic body engagement association to help arrive at a solution. We have that meeting tomorrow where we will show the officials proof that despite their claims that not a single vehicle is dumping garbage, the reality is quite the opposite.”

The estate also houses the corporation-approved Rochem unit that was installed a decade ago to generate electricity from waste however estate residents and members allege that they have never really seen it working.