River rejuvenation projects must prioritise climate change patterns: Ajit Pawar

Discussions addressed river cleanliness, flood control, and the removal of obstructions to water flow. Officials also made a detailed presentation on the Mula River rejuvenation project

Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister of Pune district Ajit Pawar on Monday chaired a review meeting on the ongoing river rejuvenation projects for the Mula, Mutha, Pavana, and Indrayani rivers at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) headquarters, officials said.

Pawar directed that suggestions from the water resources department must be prioritised while implementing the projects. (HT)

Discussions addressed river cleanliness, flood control, and the removal of obstructions to water flow. Officials also made a detailed presentation on the Mula River rejuvenation project.

Pawar directed that suggestions from the water resources department must be prioritised while implementing the projects. He stressed that changing climate patterns, rainfall data from ghats and urban areas, flood levels, and riverbed widths should all be factored into future strategies.

“The river rejuvenation project must balance biodiversity conservation, ecological stability, and urban growth. Both municipal corporations are working in coordination, and this cooperation must continue until the projects are completed. Strict and urgent measures should be taken to ensure citizens do not face inconvenience during the monsoon or in case of emergencies,” Pawar said.

The meeting was attended by Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Anna Bansode, Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choubey, PCMC Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh, PMRDA Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Deepak Singla, along with senior engineers, forest officials, and scientists.

Meeting with small-scale industry representatives

At the PCMC headquarters, Pawar also held a separate meeting with representatives of the Pimpri Chinchwad Small-Scale Industries Association (PCSSI).

The meeting was attended by Anna Bansode, PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh, Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Choubey, PMRDA Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Deepak Singla, Joint Commissioner Himmat Kharade, MSEDCL Chief Engineer Sunil Kakade, Pune MSETCL Circle Chief Engineer Anil Kolap, MIDC Deputy CEO Santosh Bhise, Chief Engineer Kailas Bhandekar, MPCB Regional Officer Babasaheb Kukade, Sub-Regional Officer Manchak Jadhav, PCSSI president Sandeep Belsare, former MLA Vilas Lande, former mayor Yogesh Behl, along with senior officers of various departments.

Issues raised by the industry body included the development of industrial parks at Kudalwadi and Chikhali, cancellation of pending Local Body Tax (LBT) notices, the T-201 rehabilitation project, Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and hazardous waste disposal, road and drainage upgrades in industrial zones, allocation of land to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL) for six new substations in MIDC areas, removal of encroachments and unauthorised scrap shops, withdrawal of service charge hikes, and provision of land for plantation and conservation activities at Bhosari, Chinchwad, and Pimpri.