Pune’s Garbage Crisis Deepens As PMC Hands Over Kothrud Waste Ramp To Metro Project
Pune, 12th June 2025: The already strained waste management system in Pune has been further disrupted following the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) decision to hand over the garbage transfer ramp at the Kothrud depot to MahaMetro. As a result, solid waste disposal from Kothrud, Warje, and Karvenagar has become increasingly unmanageable, raising serious health and sanitation concerns among residents.
The issue has escalated as the ramp was handed over before establishing an alternative facility. This has forced garbage collection trucks—approximately 125 daily—to be redirected to transfer stations at Aundh, Ghole Road, and Katraj. The redirection has significantly increased transportation time and cost, causing delays in waste disposal and resulting in visible garbage pile-ups in affected areas.
Vivek Velankar, president of Sajag Nagrik Manch, has strongly criticized the PMC’s mismanagement and filed a complaint with Municipal Commissioner Nawal Kishore Ram. “While PMC paints walls with slogans like ‘Clean Pune, Beautiful Pune’, the reality is far from it. The city is grappling with filth and misgovernance,” Velankar said. He has demanded an inquiry into the matter, especially since citizens already pay a 20% sanitation charge as part of their property tax and still face additional fees for garbage collection through the ‘SWaCH Pune Seva Sahakari Sanstha’.
The situation has been worsened by the closure of two major waste processing plants. The wet waste processing unit at Hadapsar, with a capacity of 200 tonnes, has been non-functional for three weeks. Another unit handling 50 tonnes of dry waste in Dhayari has remained shut for over a month following a fire. Consequently, the administration is struggling to process nearly 250 tonnes of waste daily.
Monsoon rains have exacerbated the crisis, increasing the volume of wet waste and causing complications at all three stages: collection, transfer, and processing.
Following public outcry, PMC officials reached out to MahaMetro and managed to temporarily reclaim the Kothrud transfer site for four months. However, concerns remain about what will happen after this short-term relief period expires.
