The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is all set to construct a mammoth 200 metric tons garbage processing plant at one of the strategic spots of the newly included 23 villages in the PMC urban agglomeration.
The PMC has sought grants worth ₹200 crore from the state government for setting up the plant and has got assent for the same.
The grant is likely to be credited to the PMC exchequer soon while a draft plan is being readied to be immediately implemented. The decision has been taken as tons of garbage and waste was being dumped along the roadsides in major villages leading to a fresh set of challenges before the administration.
With the PMC taking over the villages, the zilla parishad has withdrawn from collecting and disposing the garbage leading to widespread accumulation and possibility of a major outbreak of garbage induced diseases amidst the spread of Covid-19 in the city and the district.
PMC additional commissioner Rubal Agarwal said, “Lots of garbage is getting accumulated in the villages and disposal is a major issue in the gram panchayat. We had not expected this problem to crop up as 200 tonnes garbage is being generated every day and it requires processing. The big gram panchayat did not have their independent processing units. Currently it is also being dumped in the ‘gairan’ area of the villages. Till what time will the garbage be dumped at the roadside.”
{{/usCountry}}PMC additional commissioner Rubal Agarwal said, “Lots of garbage is getting accumulated in the villages and disposal is a major issue in the gram panchayat. We had not expected this problem to crop up as 200 tonnes garbage is being generated every day and it requires processing. The big gram panchayat did not have their independent processing units. Currently it is also being dumped in the ‘gairan’ area of the villages. Till what time will the garbage be dumped at the roadside.”
{{/usCountry}}In the meantime, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has also started to identify new lands for the garbage disposal for the merged 23 villages. As per the PMC’s estimate around 200 metric tonnes of garbage is generated per day in big villages like Manjari, Wagholi, Shivane and Ambegaon area which according to the administration are the maximum garbage generating urban sprawls.
PMC municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar has also instructed the solid waste management department to utilize the gram panchayat’s facility for a few days.
Two weeks ago, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to pay ₹2 crore for not completely complying with the tribunal order from 2018, related to a garbage dumping ground in Uruli Devachi and Phursungi.
The fine amount will be utilized to enforce an action plan to restore the environment in the area which will have to be prepared by PMC, as originally directed, and submitted to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
The Maharashtra Environment Secretary will monitor the compliance by PMC. MPCB and state environment department will assess continued violation of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and levy a compensatory amount that PMC will have to pay along with the ₹2 crore, according to the order.