Residents hold silent protest against proposed garbage depot at Punawale
The protest was staged at 18 Latitude Mall, and subsequently citizens in small groups stood in various areas with banners and hoardings, expressing their disapproval of the proposal
On Saturday, hundreds of Punawale residents and Pimpri-Chinchwad Cooperative Societies Federation (PCCSF) members held a silent protest against the proposed garbage dump in the area. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will start work on the proposed project in December, leading to unrest among residents.
The protest was staged at 18 Latitude Mall, and subsequently citizens in small groups stood in various areas with banners and hoardings, expressing their disapproval of the proposal. Residents in the area demand that the decision be reversed and that the civic body should look for alternate solutions.
The PCMC has begun negotiations to acquire the 22 hectares of forest department land in Punawale. Following a request from the civic government, the area was earmarked for a solid waste management project in 2008. In exchange for the land, the PCMC paid the forest department ₹3.5 crore and agreed to offer an alternative 22 hectares of property in Chandrapur. The work to establish the unit is expected to begin next month, prompting locals to stage a series of protests.
Sachin Londe, vice president of PCCSF, said, that earlier this month we held a bike rally as a protest many locals joined the silent protest held on Saturday.
“People stood silently in groups of 70 to 80 at prominent signals, junctions, and highways, holding posters and banners. This protest is also a warning to citizens interested in purchasing property in the Punawale area,” he said.
On November 9, the PCCSF and Punawale residents sent a legal notice to PCMC commissioner, Shekhar Singh, stating the garbage unit is bound to affect the quality of the air, pollute the groundwater of the region, and violate area residents’ fundamental rights to clean and fresh air, surroundings, environment, and water.
Navnath Dhavale, another area resident, said locals met the local Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Ashwini Jagtap who agreed to look into the issue and support the plea of Punawale residents.
“The PCMC is firm on their decision and during the upcoming Assembly sessions, MLA Jagtap has assured to get the decision scrapped. We have also filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the proposed garbage unit,” he said.
