Pune: Defence Department Grants NOC For Sewage Treatment Plant On CME Campus 

mahesh landge
Share this News:

Bhosari, 10th June 2023: In a significant development for the residents of the Dighi and Bhosari areas in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Department of Defence has issued a ‘No Objection Certificate’ for the construction of a 45 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), pumping station, and related infrastructure within the premises of the College of Military Engineering (CME). The issuance of this certificate paves the way for the commencement of the project, which will occupy six and a half acres of land under the jurisdiction of the municipal administration.

The pressing need for sewage treatment facilities in the face of rapid urbanisation in the Dighi and Bhosari areas prompted the demand for a local STP within the CME limits. Recognising this urgent requirement, Mahesh Landge, BJP city president and MLA, advocated for the establishment of a sewage treatment plant within the college’s premises in 2021.

Responding to a proposal forwarded by the municipal administration in November 2022, RS Yadav, Secretary of the Defence Department, has now granted the necessary ‘No Objection Certificate’ to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Administration. This clearance enables them to proceed with the construction of the sewage treatment plant and other essential infrastructure within the designated area of the CME.

During a joint inspection tour in September 2021, municipal administration officials engaged in discussions with the defence department regarding various challenges, including stray animals, encroachments, and the maintenance of roads, drains, and the sewage system. At that time, the municipal administration expressed the need for approximately 10 acres of land within the CME limits to accommodate the sewage flowing from the Bhosari and Dighi areas through drains. Additionally, plans were discussed for the establishment of pump houses and sump wells alongside the STP. As a result of these discussions, the Defence Department has allocated six and a half acres of land free of charge to facilitate the construction of the STP and associated projects.

Following the allocation of space, a joint committee comprising members from the Municipal Corporation and CME will be formed to oversee the implementation and progress of the STP and related initiatives. A consulting firm will be appointed to determine the project’s cost and duration, after which the tender process will be initiated. The responsibility for laying the necessary sewage lines to connect the STP will fall on the municipal corporation, while the treated water will either be discharged into the drain or disposed of by the municipality. Furthermore, four plots measuring 2,000 square feet each will house pumping stations to support the STP operations.

Mahesh Landge, the MLA representing the Bhosari constituency, remarked, “The sewage generated from Bhosari and Dighi areas was previously flowing through the CME area via drains. In 2021, I raised the demand with the then Commissioner Rajesh Patil to establish a sewage treatment plant within the CME limits. Unfortunately, this proposal was disregarded during Mahavikas Aghadi’s rule.”

“Under the leadership of the Shinde-Fadnavis government, and with the cooperation of Commissioner Shekhar Singh, Additional Commissioner Pradeep Jambhale-Patil, and Ramdas Tambe, we have successfully paved the way for the construction of the STP in CME. It is expected that the project will commence promptly as the tender process is implemented within the next two months,” he added.