(Above) Builders are dumping waste material near Pavana river and the garbage has not been cleared for three months.
Next to the bridge connecting Kasarwadi with Gurav Pimple, a ‘mountain’ of garbage stands starkly. In the past three months, it has grown a few inches tall; it is a major eyesore and health hazard.
Indiscriminately dumped building material comprises a major part of the garbage pile. Where the building material comes from, and how it lands at the site, is a mystery the PCMC is trying to unravel, but has not succeeded so far.
Laxman Jagtap, BJP MLA and president of the party’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, lives in Gurav Pimple. In the area, garbage can be found strewn here, there and everywhere. The mountain of garbage stands right next to the road that he frequently uses to head to Pimpri.
Three days ago, Jagtap and fellow party MLA Mahesh Landge held a review meeting with PCMC officials, where they discussed the “apathetic attitude” of the civic administration towards keeping the city clean.
Jagtap is often credited with transforming Gurav Pimple, from an under-developed area to a bustling suburb. The MLA is upset and angry at the way the PCMC administration is going about its job, said Sunil M, a resident of Gurav Pimple.
Jagtap also criticised the PCMC administration over the lack of cleanliness in the town. He pointed out that right under his nose, builders were dumping waste material near Pavana river and the garbage had not been cleared for three months.
At the review meeting, Jagtap’s anger was visible as he chided the officials for not doing enough to address public grievances, said BJP leaders. “He is clearly upset about the response of the administration. At the meeting, he said the system had become lax and officials needed to try their best to ensure that the residents’ complaints were resolved,” said Sarang Kamtekar, general secretary of the party.
Jagtap said he has given a fortnight to the administration to “act decisively”.
When contacted, PCMC Commissioner Sharavan Hardikar said,”There were some issues… such as delay in the tender process and manpower shortage. Things are being sorted out and in the next 15 days, we will be able to redress the grievances”.
On the ‘mountain’ of garbage piling up at Gurav Pimple Road, Hardikar said, “We are trying to find out who dumps construction waste at the spot. Apparently, vehicles from both Pune city and PCMC area are dumping the material in the night. A couple of days ago, we had caught a vehicle coming from Pune side…,” adding that the ‘mountain’ of garbage would be cleared soon.
