The Baner Area Sabha (BAS) and Jal Biradari have jointly filed a PIL against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the Bombay high court over channelisation of the Devnadi, the only natural body flowing through the Baner-Balewadi region.
The Baner Area Sabha (BAS) and Jal Biradari have jointly filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the Bombay high court over channelisation of the Devnadi, the only natural body flowing through the Baner-Balewadi region.
BAS member Anupam Saraph said that the PMC has started channelisation of rivers, streams and nalas, against the people’s wishes.
He alleged that the civic body is destroying the natural flow of the river and converting it into a gutter. Residents of the area have been protesting against the civic body’s plans, but the PMC has not paid heed to their demands. According to Saraph, the Bombay high court had admitted the PIL on April 21. “We have emphasised that the PMC’s plans are obstructing Devnadi’s natural flow. We do not want channelisation of the river at all,” he said.
Saraph said that by channelising the river, the authorities are converting the Devnadi into a gutter and violating its legal duty to protect the natural resources.
According to him, the state is disregarding its constitutional duty to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. He said that without channelisation 50% of the rainwater naturally harvested by the streams will increase the ground water level.
Meanwhile, residents of Bavdhan and Ramnagar will stage a two-day relay hunger strike from Monday to highlight their demand to protect the Ramnadi.
The residents have been requesting the authorities concerned to remove the encroachments on the banks of the river, but no action has been taken so far.
They recalled the floods during monsoon last year when water from the Ramnadi inundated several parts of the city, leading to loss of life and property.
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