Pune: PMC Bans Bonfires as Winter Air Pollution Rises
Pune, 18th November 2025: Citing a surge in air pollution levels across the city, Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has imposed a ban on lighting bonfires in residential societies, commercial complexes and neighbourhoods. The decision follows reports that security guards and workers have been burning wood, garbage and coal at night to keep warm, releasing harmful smoke into the air.
According to the civic body, bonfires contribute significantly to rising pollution by emitting smoke, carbon monoxide, PM10, PM2.5 and other hazardous gases that directly affect respiratory health. Officials noted that such emissions are linked to increased cases of asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
The order draws authority from multiple pollution-control regulations, including the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and guidelines issued under the National Clean Air Programme on 25 August 2022, all of which prohibit open burning of coal, biomass, plastic, rubber or other waste materials.
The Commissioner warned that anyone found burning such materials—whether security guards, sanitation workers, labourers, PMC staff or contract workers—within society premises or on public roads will face penalties from the Solid Waste Management Department. The civic body has appealed to housing societies to ensure compliance and adopt safer alternatives for winter-time heating.
