PMC scrambles to relocate Kothrud garbage ramp for Pune Metro expansion
A senior official from the PMC solid waste department said, “We had started developing a new waste segregation centre on a 40 guntha plot at Bavdhan
While the Pune municipal commissioner has ordered the closure of the garbage segregation ramp at Kothrud in a move tied to the ongoing Pune Metro expansion, the decision has sparked logistical concerns for the city’s solid waste department which is now scrambling to identify a new location to process daily waste from the area.
Atul Gadgil, director of Pune Metro, said, “The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has given us the entire Kothrud garbage depot land for the Metro depot. Part of it was used for garbage segregation. Now, we have asked for the remaining land for the Vanaz–Chandani Chowk Metro expansion. The PMC has started shifting the segregation centre. We will get the land in a few days.”
A senior official from the PMC solid waste department said, “We had started developing a new waste segregation centre on a 40 guntha plot at Bavdhan. However, the site falls within the NDA airport’s funnel zone so we must get clearance from the defence ministry before building any sheds. We have already applied for permission, but no work can begin until it’s approved.”
“Meanwhile, we are exploring the option of sending Kothrud’s waste to segregation ramps at Aundh and Ghole Road. But both centres are already under pressure, and taking additional waste will increase operational strain and transport costs,” the official said.
Pune Metro has planned the Vanaz to Chandani Chowk metro extension which will cover 1.12 km and have two stations. The state government cleared the project in March 2024. It is part of the phase 1 extension which also includes the Ramwadi to Wagholi route. Now, Pune Metro’s Vanaz to Chandani Chowk extension is waiting for final approval from the central government. Once approved, Pune Metro will start the bidding process for station and pillar design and construction.
The PMC had earlier handed over more than 30 gunthas (around 0.75 acre) of land in Kothrud to Pune Metro to facilitate the development of a depot. Following this, the original garbage depot was shifted to Uruli Devachi and Phursungi while a smaller ramp was constructed on the same Kothrud plot to handle and segregate nearly 185 tonne of wet and dry waste collected daily from the Warje and Karve Nagar areas.
However, this temporary arrangement has now been scrapped as per the Pune Metro administration demand. The solid waste department is now left in a bind, uncertain about where to redirect the significant waste load. The decision has left the solid waste department in a difficult position, with concerns mounting over how to manage the daily waste inflow from one of Pune’s busiest residential corridors.
