Pune: 4 Tonnes Of Waste Dumped On Paud Road, PMC To Take Legal Action Against Private Garbage Operators
Kothrud, 6th February 2024: In a blatant violation of civic rules, private garbage transport operators resorted to dumping around 4 tonnes of mixed waste on Paud Road after being denied entry to the Kothrud garbage depot by the civic body yesterday. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to take stern action against these operators, filing criminal cases for creating a public nuisance.
Sandip Kadam, head of PMC’s solid waste management department, asserted that the administration would initiate legal proceedings against the operators under various Acts, including the solid waste management guidelines. Their actions, deemed as defacing the city, will not be tolerated.
According to PMC officials, these operators were instructed to segregate the trash, a standard practice for waste disposal. However, they failed to comply with the rules, resulting in their denial of entry to the garbage depot. Instead of adhering to proper waste management procedures, they chose to dump the mixed trash on Paud Road.
Approximately 50 vehicles were stationed on Paud Road in the morning and afternoon for trash disposal at the depot, with capacities ranging from 100 kg to 500 kg per vehicle. Though the exact quantity of dumped trash remains unknown, PMC officials estimate it to be around 4 tonnes.
In Pune, the daily garbage generation totals 2,200 tonnes, comprising 450 tonnes of wet garbage, 950 tonnes of dry garbage, and 800 tonnes of mixed waste. Civic officials note that approximately 15% of the total garbage generated daily in the city is plastic.
The growing quantity of waste poses a significant challenge, exacerbated by the city’s expanding population. Lack of suitable sites within the city leads to the dumping of most garbage in the eastern areas of PMC, particularly in Hadapsar and Uruli-Phursungi.
PMC’s ‘Public Health & Sanitation Byelaws 2017’ outlines the responsibilities of generators, corporations, agents, and operators in waste management. The by-law emphasizes the generator’s responsibility to segregate garbage at the source and mandates municipal corporations to provide door-to-door collection for solid waste segregated at the source, subject to user fees.
The by-law defines “segregation” as the separation of solid waste into various components, such as biodegradable, non-biodegradable, domestic hazardous, sanitary, e-waste, biomedical, construction and demolition, horticultural waste, etc.
