Pune: Residents Slam PMC, Cantonment Over Waste Mess at Hadapsar Depot; Call for Local Solutions
Reported by Shoaib Tadvi
Hadapsar, 13th October 2025: Residents of Hadapsar have voiced mounting frustration over the state of waste management at the local garbage processing unit, accusing both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Cantonment Board of negligence and poor coordination. This comes even after the Bombay High Court recently dismissed a plea seeking the relocation of the depot.
In its September 2025 order, the court had directed PMC and the Cantonment Board to ensure scientific processing of solid waste at the Hadapsar industrial estate facility. It also instructed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to take strict action against any violations of the Solid Waste Management Rules. Despite this, residents report little improvement on the ground.
Local resident Poonam Punjabi said repeated complaints to civic authorities have gone unanswered. “When an official from Chinchwad, Kartik, visited the site, even he was shocked by the filth and stench. The garbage remains uncollected for days, and both PMC and Cantonment authorities keep blaming each other,” she said.
Residents are demanding immediate corrective measures, including relocating garbage trucks within the depot, regular spraying of anti-odour chemicals, and CCTV surveillance to monitor operations. “The roads are slippery and dangerous because of the slush created by garbage trucks. Many residents and workers have narrowly escaped accidents,” Punjabi added.
Environmental experts are calling for a decentralised approach to waste processing. Ashish Vaishnav, director of Gangotri Energy, suggested processing dry waste locally in Pune’s industrial boilers instead of transporting it to Chandrapur or Karnataka.
“Transporting dry waste adds unnecessary costs and emissions. If we co-fire it scientifically in local industrial boilers, following pollution control norms, we can safely convert it into Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF),” Vaishnav explained.
Responding to residents’ suggestions, PMC Deputy Engineer Kamlesh Shevte said the civic body is open to adopting new solutions, but proper procedures must be followed.
“If there is a new proposal, it must go through the proper channels. We have to present it to the HoD and the Additional Officer for approval. After that, we can decide on implementation.
PMC is continuously working to improve waste disposal, and we are ready to adopt new technologies — the proposal just needs to be properly reviewed and approved,” Shevte said.
Vaishnav emphasised that collaboration between civic bodies and private firms could help Pune set a benchmark for efficient and sustainable waste management.
For now, however, residents say they continue to grapple with foul odours, deteriorating roads, and a lack of accountability, even as civic authorities trade blame over responsibility for cleaning up the mess.j
