Pune: Commuters hope for a clean Katraj ghat section

PUNE: Now that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started lifting huge piles of garbage accumulated along the Katraj ghat stretch, regular commuters hope for a cleaner travel experience.
The heaps of garbage accumulating along the ghat and on the approach road had been raising a stink and commuters were upset about the illegal dumping. Besides lifting garbage, the administration has also appointed teams to intensify round-the-clock vigil in the ghat to prevent further dumping.

The ghat begins after Katraj and ends on the other side of the hill on the Pune-Kolhapur national highway. Shivapur resident Aba Ghule, who often travels to Katraj to deliver vegetables, said that the entire ghat section was full of garbage dumped on both sides of the road. The garbage was also causing obstruction to vehicular movement. Now, the administration should ensure that the garbage is not dumped here again, he said.
A PMC official said that the garbage lifting started at the beginning of this month after three villages, located along the ghat section, were merged in the civic limits.
“It was observed that a large quantity of garbage was being dumped by the residents of Bhilarwadi, Mangdewadi and Gujar-Nimbalkarwadi, which are located along the ghat. We held meetings with residents to stop the practice of dumping garbage in the ghat,” the official added.
In the last three weeks, the administration imposed fines on 83 offenders, who were caught dumping garbage in the section.
Pradnya Potdar, head of Dhankawadi-Sahakarnagar civic ward, said, “A drive has been initiated to clean the ghat section. We have cleared the garbage from almost all chronic spots in the ghat. Now, to restrict the dumping we have appointed teams that are working in day and night shifts because garbage was being dumped at night. So far, the steps are yielding positive results.”