Residents in Punawale have been fighting for 15 years to stop the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) from building a garbage depot in their area. Finally, on Monday, the state government canceled the civic body’s plan, giving relief to the residents.
The residents, who strongly opposed the project, were happy about the government’s decision, seeing it as a positive step. However, civic officials expressed concern about managing the city’s waste since the waste depot at Moshi is full.
Punawale was merged with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in 1998, and a development plan was made. As the city grew, it faced problems managing solid waste. The PCMC had selected a 26-hectare plot for the garbage depot, but due to Punawale’s rapid expansion, the plan became impractical. The government now plans to find an alternative location.
Chinchwad MLA Ashwini Jagtap strongly opposed the garbage depot in Punawale, highlighting the area’s growth in the last 15 years. She raised the issue in the State Assembly, seeking to scrap the plan.
Jagtap explained that Punawale’s growth led to the emergence of residential societies, educational institutes, offices, and shops. The proposed garbage depot would have led to the removal of hundreds of trees, impacting the environment. Additionally, Punawale’s hilly terrain raised concerns about water pollution.
The MLA revealed that the PCMC had reserved the land for the depot in 2008, but the project was canceled for not adhering to central government norms. Despite this, the PCMC attempted to reopen the project in February, offering alternative land to the forest department.
Residents welcomed the government’s decision, expressing gratitude to MLA Ashwini Jagtap for supporting their cause. They had been opposing the plan since 2008, even filing a PIL in 2010, which was withdrawn when the PCMC claimed it was only a proposal.
In response to the government’s decision, PCMC commissioner Shekhar Singh stated that they would follow the directives and look for alternative land for the garbage depot. However, finding a location as large as the one in Punawale poses a challenge, and managing garbage in the future might become problematic.
Punawale, with a population of 85,000 to 1 lakh residents and around 90 residential societies, can now breathe a sigh of relief as the long-standing struggle against the garbage depot comes to an end.
