‘Pune Roads Overflowing with Garbage’: Author Shefali Vaidya Blasts PMC Over Civic Negligence
Pune, 12th August 2025: “Every road in Pune has garbage and construction waste dumped by the roadside… mounds and mounds of festering plastic garbage just piling up every day!” — with these words, author and columnist Shefali Vaidya launched a scathing attack on the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) via X (formerly Twitter), accusing it of doing nothing to address the city’s mounting waste problem.
Vaidya said the situation is visible even along the Pune–Bengaluru highway between Bavdhan and Baner. She alleged that despite the widespread dumping, no action is taken to clear the waste or penalise offenders. The absence of elected corporators due to delayed municipal elections, she claimed, has left residents with no one to approach for solutions, while civic officials “have no fear of losing their jobs.”
She also targeted the PMC over allegedly illegal furniture showrooms near the Sus Road overpass, claiming that corrupt officials collect “hafta” (bribes) to keep them operational. According to her, the civic body occasionally demolishes a few structures, only for them to reappear within 24 hours.
The author further announced that she would be posting videos and photos highlighting Pune’s civic issues in the coming days, urging residents to do the same. She asked citizens to document garbage piles, debris, illegal encroachments, bad roads, and traffic violations, tagging PMC and other public representatives in their posts.
“Unless we speak collectively, nothing will happen,” she wrote, adding the hashtag #CleanUpPune to rally support.
