Pune: PMC Faces Resistance in Shifting Waste Treatment Project from Baner to Nande Chande

Baner, 5th January 2024: Tensions rise as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) initiates the process of shifting the waste treatment project from Sus Road in Pune-Baner to a reserved area in Nande Chande village under the PMRDA limits. While the PMC assures citizens that the waste treatment plant will be operational by March 6, residents vehemently oppose the move, demanding the project’s closure before January 31.

The garbage project on Sus Road in Baner has been a contentious issue for the last two and a half years. Despite a Supreme Court order mandating its closure, the PMC cited a lack of space as the reason for the delay. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar intervened, directing the closure and relocation by December 31. However, the administration failed to take concrete action until a scuffle broke out last week between former MLA Medha Kulkarni and officials.

Following the altercation, the administration provided a letter to the President of Sus Road Baner Vikas Mancha, outlining plans to shift the bio CNG project to a reserved area in Nande Chande village under PMRDA limits. Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kadam, in the letter, assured that if possession of the site is obtained by January 5, construction and electrical works will commence immediately, with the new project operational by March 6.

Former MLA Kulkarni, however, remains unconvinced by the PMC’s assurances. In a meeting with residents, Kulkarni pushed for the waste plant’s complete shutdown by January 31, contrary to the PMC’s phased-out approach. Scepticism surrounds the PMC’s campaign plan, especially as the letter lacks the signatures of senior officers. Consequently, Kulkarni demands a more concrete assurance of the project’s closure.