PMC approves covered waste segregation facility at Balewadi PMPML depot

Standing Committee chairman Shreenath Bhimale said the decision was taken following a long-pending demand to shift the existing segregation point located near the service road

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has approved allocation of 3,000 sq ft of land at the PMPML depot in Balewadi for a garbage segregation facility.

At present, sanitation workers segregate waste in the open on a plot near the service road. (FILE)

Standing Committee chairman Shreenath Bhimale said the decision was taken following a long-pending demand to shift the existing segregation point located near the service road.

“It was a long-standing demand to have a dedicated space for garbage segregation at Balewadi. Since the existing spot is located along the service road, commuters travelling on the highway get a poor impression of the city. We have now allotted a new plot for the purpose,” Bhimale said.

At present, sanitation workers segregate waste in the open on a plot near the service road. Officials said workers faced difficulties carrying out the work during the summer and monsoon seasons due to the lack of covered infrastructure.

According to PMC officials, the newly allotted land has been carved out from a plot earlier allocated to PMPML. The proposed segregation facility will be covered and will not be visible from the outside.

The PMC has set up waste segregation points in several parts of the city where workers separate wet and dry waste before transportation. However, the civic body has frequently faced opposition from residents over the allotment of land for garbage segregation and ramp facilities near residential localities.

Officials said the PMC is increasingly trying to utilise government-owned or civic body-owned land for such facilities to minimise public opposition.