Pune civic body to construct new waste facility despite public protest

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has said it will continue with the construction of the new garbage processing unit at Uruli Phursungi despite the villagers’ protest. PMC said the court order did not stop them from constructing a closed processing plant.

Dhyaneshwar Molak, the head of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s solid waste management department, told The Times of India that the civic administration was following all the rules and regulations for the construction of this new plant. “The affidavit the PMC gave to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) mentions this plant. The NGT has prohibited open dumping but not processing,” he said, adding that a plant of 200 metric-tonne capacity was being built to cater to the needs of the villages near the plant.

The Uruli Phursungi villagers started their agitation at the under-construction plant site on Wednesday and decided to stop the entry of the PMC’s garbage vans in their village. They continued with their protest on Thursday. The PMC has stopped open-dumping of waste at the garbage depot from January. Only reject material like metal parts, plastic, and others that cannot be processed were being sent to the depot.

Picture Credit: Unknown, PMC Building, Unknown