Lohgaon: Garbage Cleanup Around Pune Airport Ramped Up After IAF Warning
Lohgaon, 14th July 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has intensified garbage collection efforts around the city airport following serious concerns raised by the Indian Air Force (IAF) over operational hazards caused by unclean surroundings and stray animals.
The alert comes in the wake of two separate incidents earlier this year, where stray dogs were spotted on the runway, disrupting civil flight movements. The IAF, which operates two squadrons of Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets from the Pune Air Force Station, has also reported frequent bird strike threats—posing a risk to both military and civilian operations.
According to officials, the IAF communicated its concerns to PMC in a formal letter, urging immediate and long-term measures to address the issue. The letter pointed out that improper garbage disposal and general lack of cleanliness in the vicinity of the airport are attracting birds and stray animals, increasing the likelihood of runway incursions and mid-air hazards.
“Training flights are typically conducted during weekday mornings, and any disruptions—especially bird strikes—can throw off the entire day’s schedule,” an IAF officer said. “While we have a trained bird-control team in place, the situation calls for preventive civic action. Clean surroundings are essential for flight safety.”
PMC Rolls Out Multi-Layered Clean-Up Plan
Responding to the IAF’s concerns, the PMC’s Solid Waste Management Department has deployed a comprehensive action plan. Sandeep Kadam, the department head, said that garbage collection frequency around the Air Force Station has been increased from once to three times a day.
“A night-shift team has also been deployed, and a nodal officer is monitoring operations closely,” Kadam explained. “Civic workers are now covering a 4-kilometer radius around the airport, ensuring regular waste clearance.”
In addition to the enhanced frequency, PMC has deployed a dedicated workforce to manage the cleanup. “We’ve assigned 15 sanitation workers to operate in three shifts daily. They handle sweeping, garbage collection, and monitoring of hygiene in key localities like Kalwad Vasti, Lohgaon Gaothan, and Forest Park,” said a senior civic official. “Private landowners have been warned to maintain cleanliness or face penalties.”
Divisional Sanitary Inspector Dhanshree Jagdale from the Nagar Road ward office reported that the civic body is collecting approximately two tonnes of wet and dry waste daily from the area. “We’ve appealed to residents not to dump trash in open areas. Regular coordination with airport and Air Force officials is ongoing, and data on daily cleaning is being shared with them,” she said.
Addressing the Stray Dog Issue
Apart from waste management, PMC is also targeting the issue of stray animals. Dr. Sarika Funde, head of PMC’s veterinary department, said a sterilisation and vaccination campaign for stray dogs is underway in the airport vicinity.
“We’ve also advised animal feeders to maintain a minimum distance of 200 meters from the airport while feeding stray dogs. Earlier, dog-catching operations were conducted only on Saturdays; we now carry them out midweek as well,” Funde stated. “Roughly 70 stray dogs have been identified in the area.”
