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Kothrud garbage ramp to reopen temporarily; Maha-Metro grants PMC four-month access
The ramp, shut down on May 15 for metro depot development, will now be used again for garbage segregation and transfer
The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro) has granted permission to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to reuse the garbage transfer ramp at the old Kothrud depot for the next four months.
The ramp, shut down on May 15 for metro depot development, will now be used again for garbage segregation and transfer. “We have communicated with the metro authorities, and waste transfer work at the site will restart in the next one or two days,” said Sandeep Kadam, deputy commissioner, PMC solid waste management department.
Though the original garbage depot in Kothrud was handed over to Maha-Metro, PMC continued using a 30-gunta (30,000 square feet) section of the land to run a waste transfer ramp for the Warje-Karvenagar region. Around 185 tonnes of wet and dry waste is collected daily from the area through various garbage collection vehicles and is segregated at the site.
Metro officials had been following up with PMC to clear the land for further depot construction. As an alternative, PMC began planning a new ramp at Bavdhan on a 40-gunta plot. However, the site falls within the funnel zone of National Defence Academy’s (NDA) airbase, requiring the defence ministry’s approval for any construction. The ramp could not be built as it required permission.
Meanwhile, the then Pune municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale had ordered the closure of the Kothrud ramp on April 30, and operations were stopped from May 15.
Kadam said, “The waste processing plants in Hadapsar (200 tonnes, wet waste) and Dhayari (50 tonnes, dry waste) are currently shut for maintenance and will be operational soon. In the meantime, we requested Maha-Metro to allow temporary use of the Kothrud ramp. They have responded positively.”
Atul Gadgil, director (works), Maha-Metro, said, “Considering the garbage situation, we have agreed to let PMC use the Kothrud ramp temporarily during the monsoon.”
Extension plans
Alongside the depot work, Maha-Metro is planning a 1.12-km extension from Vanaz to Chandni Chowk, with two new stations. Another part of the extension includes the Ramwadi to Wagholi line. The Vanaz–Chandni Chowk extension awaits approval from the Central government.
