The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has directed officials to repair all closed public toilets and reopen them before the upcoming Ganeshotsav, amid an expected increase in footfall at markets, major roads and crowded areas during the festival.
The civic body has also been asked to prepare a comprehensive two-year maintenance and repair plan for public toilets to prevent facilities from remaining shut due to basic infrastructure problems.
PMC standing committee chairman Shrinath Bhimale said the city currently has around 7,000 toilet seats, but several facilities remain unusable because of delays in repairing water supply, electricity, doors, taps and other essential infrastructure.
“The first priority should be to keep the existing public toilets fully operational. Closed toilets must be repaired and reopened before Ganeshotsav. To ensure that toilets do not remain closed in future, the administration should prepare a comprehensive maintenance and repair proposal for at least two years,” Bhimale said.
PMC officials have been asked to prepare a ward-office-wise list of closed toilets and complete urgent repairs. Regular cleaning, water supply and electricity will also have to be ensured, Bhimale said.
The PMC is also in the final stages of planning new smart toilets and dedicated facilities for women.
{{/usCountry}}The PMC is also in the final stages of planning new smart toilets and dedicated facilities for women.
{{/usCountry}}The focus on public toilets comes ahead of Ganeshotsav, when large crowds are expected across the city. The civic body has previously made arrangements such as portable toilets and other public facilities around festival locations.
NEERI to audit two waste-treatment projects; ₹42 crore compensation claim under review
The PMC has approved the appointment of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, to conduct a technical audit of two waste-treatment projects — a 200-metric-tonne-per-day wet-waste processing plant at Sus Road, Baner, and a 300-metric-tonne-per-day bio-CNG plant at Talegaon.
The proposal was placed before the standing committee on Thursday by municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and approved, Bhimale said.
The Sus Road project, located at survey No. 48/2/1, was approved by the standing committee in 2014. An intent letter was issued to Noble Exchange Environment Solutions LLP in 2015, with the project awarded for 30 years. The plant processes wet waste generated in Pune and produces bio-CNG, which can be used as an alternative to conventional CNG, including in vehicles.
The Talegaon plant, however, has been operating significantly below its designed capacity. According to the civic administration, it processed an average of only 26 metric tonnes of waste a day between February and July 2026, against its installed capacity of 300 metric tonnes per day.
The PMC has issued repeated directions and notices to improve the plant’s utilisation.
According to officials, the operator has told the civic body that under-utilisation affected machinery, biological culture and the digestion process. It has sought ₹42 crore in compensation to repair the facility and restore it to full capacity.
The PMC has now decided to seek an independent technical assessment from NEERI before deciding on the claim.
“The final decision on the compensation amount will be taken by the standing committee. After NEERI submits its report, the findings will be discussed in the committee and only then will a decision be taken on how much compensation, if any, should be paid,” Bhimale said.
The audit is expected to provide an independent assessment of the two projects’ technical condition and performance before the civic body makes further decisions, said the officials.