Pune corporators unite to dump garbage proposal

Cutting across party lines, local corporators on Thursday strongly opposed the proposal to increase the capacity of 1,500 metric tonne municipal garbage treatment plant in Hadapsar, forcing the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) general body (GB) to defer the plan.

The civic administration had tabled the proposal to increase the capacity of the existing garbage treatment plant, run by Hanjers, by 300 metric tonne.

Sunil Bankar and Chetan Tupe claimed that the existing plant had made life miserable for Hadapsar residents.  They criticised the administration for its failure to address garbage segregation in an effective way.

“The administration had promised to set up four landfill sites at the four corners of the city. Their plan to decentralise garbage segregation is yet to be implemented,” they claimed.

Pune municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak said the increase in capacity was sought to ensure that garbage disposal did not suffer in case of strikes or other failures in the system.

“Garbage generation increases during festivals and our disposal system can’t keep up with the load. This new facility would take care of the excess waste,” he said.

Leader of the house Subhash Jagtap said the issue would be taken up in the next GB meet.