Pune: MIT students in Loni Kalbhor Continue Protest for Fifth Day over Dumping in Mula-Mutha riverbed
Pune, 17th March 2026: A protest by students of the MIT educational campus against alleged illegal dumping in the Mula-Mutha riverbed has entered its fifth day, with garbage piling up in areas under Loni Kalbhor and Kadamwakvasti gram panchayat limits due to non-collection over the past few days, the students claimed.
Students have alleged that for several years, garbage has been dumped daily into the riverbed by the two gram panchayats and nearby villages, posing a serious threat to the environment and public health.
The protest began on March 4, 2026, when students blocked tractors carrying garbage from entering the campus en route to the riverbed. Following intervention by the police, the students had given the gram panchayats a seven-day deadline to resolve the issue.
However, as dumping continued even after the deadline, students resumed their protest on March 13, stopping garbage vehicles at the university gate and the protest has now entered the fifth day.
The issue was highlighted after a massive fire broke out on February 27 in heaps of garbage dumped in the riverbed. The fire smouldered for four days, releasing toxic fumes in the area. Around six to seven students from the MIT campus reportedly complained of breathing difficulties and had to be hospitalised, triggering anger and concern among students.
The Haveli sub-divisional officer Yashwant Mane, Loni Kalbhor additional tehsildar Trupti Kolte, and representatives of both gram panchayats visited the dumping site. However, no concrete solution has been implemented so far.
The Haveli block development officer Shekhar Shelar has also issued notices to both gram panchayats, directing them to adopt scientific methods for waste management, segregation and disposal. They have also been instructed to immediately stop dumping garbage in the riverbed and arrange for an alternative site.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board’s Pune office has also served notices to the Pune Zilla Parishad and the two gram panchayats, seeking an explanation within seven days and directing them to halt the dumping immediately.
The villagers of Kadamwakvasti gram panchayat passed a resolution in their gram sabha seeking an alternative site for waste management and decided to send garbage to the Hadapsar solid waste processing plant until such a site is finalised. In contrast, the gram sabha of Loni Kalbhor was adjourned on March 17 due to lack of quorum, with no resolution passed.
“Dumping garbage in the riverbed is extremely wrong. The resolution passed by Kadamwakvasti gram panchayat is commendable. We hope Loni Kalbhor gram panchayat will also take a similar stand soon and arrange an alternative system,” said Dr Mahesh Chopde, registrar of MIT ADT University, Loni Kalbhor.
