Residents from over 50 housing societies in Pune are demanding the relocation of the Hadapsar garbage depot run by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Cantonment Board, as waste spills have become a daily issue, raising health concerns near the residential area.
The residents from Sopanbaug, Udaybaug, BT Kawade Road, Hadapsar, Ghorpadi, and Fatimanagar, among others, have been troubled by garbage spillover on the Kalubai Chowk to Industrial Estate along the Pune-Solapur Road.
The waste collected through carts is brought to the Hadapsar garbage depot and transferred to a large vehicle, which also houses a waste processing unit. Residents from the nearby claim that when these carts and large vehicles spill waste along the roads while transferring, it causes inhygienic conditions, and a foul smell spreads across the vicinity.
Poonam Punjabi, a resident of the market yard, who commutes to the camp area daily for work, highlighted that, "Due to garbage processing centres, the area is always smelling foul. And in the long run, it is going to impact our health. Disinfectant/pesticide should be sprayed at the waste transfer-processing center, and bleaching powder should be sprayed regularly on the roads."
Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Deepali Sardeshmukhi, a social activist, said, “We demand the removal of the garbage centre as nobody collects the garbage from the Fursungi area, and the irony is that the entire garbage collected from across Pune city is processed near our area only.”
“Also, the Hadpasar processing centre is owned by PMC, despite that there are fluctuations of electricity, due to which the garbage is not processed on time and gets accumulated, causing foul smell and looks bad,” Sardeshmukhi added.
The residents have a suggestion about the waste management practices. “The civic body should, instead of having one garbage processing centre should ask societies to manage the compatible waste at their society level itself by processing the garbage; they could also provide designated space at each area. It will also save the transportation cost and load on one processing unit.”
Senior citizens, including Nikhil Shah, along with the local traders’ association, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, claiming that a plane crash due to bird activity could not be ruled out. However, the High Court rejected the demand.
PMC deputy commissioner of Solid Waste Management, Sandip Kadam, said, “The depot is under PMC and PCB, but waste removal and processing are the PCB’s responsibility. Measures are being taken to address and prevent open dumping.”
