Across Pune, residents have been voicing concerns over garbage being dumped on roads. Despite raising complaints with the authorities, many allege that no action has been taken, leaving them to deal with unsanitary conditions and a persistent foul odour.
Suchitra Pradhan, a resident of Karve Nagar, said, "Despite paying taxes to the government, we have no access to good and clean roads. This is not an area-specific problem; anywhere you go in Pune, you'll come across such scenes wherein the garbage is being dumped irresponsibly. If you go near Deep Bunglow Chowk, opposite Navjeevan Medical, you can see the garbage dumped there. It's not just an administrative responsibility — we too, as a society, need to develop civic sense. Many times, PMC even cleans the area, but people throw garbage again. There should be some strict laws against violators."
Amol Shinde, a resident of Kothrud, said, "Near Gujrat colony, there was a washroom which PMC dismantled and turned into a reading room for elderly people, but still, the garbage is being dumped in the area, and it remains a major concern for the residents living nearby. Also, due to the metro construction, a lot of garbage dumping areas were cleared; however, the garbage can still be seen."
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Pallavi Sahu, a volunteer from Pune Ploggers — a non-profit organisation that encourages people to combine physical exercise with environmental cleanup — said, "Garbage can be seen everywhere. The major challenge is that the city doesn't have enough dustbins, and even if one plastic bag is seen thrown somewhere on the streets, people, instead of picking it up, tend to dump more bags there, and soon it becomes a dumping spot. Near the river belts, PMC installed five to six feet long Nirmalya Kalash where people can dispose of the Nirmalya and not into the rivers, but still, people can be seen throwing it into the rivers. The people lack civic sense and are conditioned like that. There's a lack of awareness regarding maintaining cleanliness, not just in our homes, but also outside our homes. The main challenge we face as ploggers is that people appreciate what we do, but they are hesitant to come and join us for the clean-up. The civic body and many other organisations are collaborating with us and helping us take our cause ahead."
According to the PMC data, the civic body has taken action against 11,877 violators for littering and throwing garbage in public spaces and collected a fine of Rs 67.58 lakh since January 2025 till March 2025. The civic body also took action against garbage burning in open spaces, fined at least 29 violators and collected Rs 1.45 lakh in penalties.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Kadam, Head of the Solid Waste Management Department, PMC, said, "We are constantly raising awareness and clearing all the chronic garbage spots. We are strictly taking action against the violators."
