It is mandatory for bulk wet waste generators like housing societies that produce more than 100 kg of wet garbage daily to process it in their premises as per solid waste management rules. But the industrial town of Pimpri-Chinchwad seems to have failed to implement it.
Among 2,000 housing societies on its jurisdiction, only 128 societies have availed the facility. Comparatively, among 4,078 housing societies in Pune, 2,843 housing societies have set up a bulk wet waste disposal facility inside their premises.
The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (SWMR) were notified on April 8 2016, to lay a solid framework for scientific waste management across urban settlements.
Ajit Deshmukh, head of solid waste management department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, “PMC started a drive of issuing notices and collecting fines from housing societies. PMC has also warned societies that if they do not treat wet garbage generated in their premises, the civic body will stop picking it up. The PMC collected fines worth Rs 2.5 lakh from 46 housing societies.”
Sanjay Kulkarni, executive engineer of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) environment cell, said, “PCMC started taking action against the housing societies that failed to set up the garbage disposal unit in their premises. More details will be available with Dr Anil Roy, chief medical officer of health.”
Dr Anil Roy was unavailable for comment on the phone and did not reply to messages.
As per sources at the PCMC health department, every day 1,000 metric tonne solid waste was processed at Moshi garbage depot. The capacity of the depot was almost over. Only 128 housing societies have an internal garbage disposal unit and do not depend on civic bodies for wet waste disposal.
Sanjeevan Sangle, chairman of Chikhali-Moshi Cooperative Housing Societies, said, “PCMC is lagging as the builders never provided facilities to the housing societies, yet the PCMC building permission department gave completion certificates to these builders. We had a meeting with then PCMC commissioner Shravan Hardikar about this.
He promised to take action against civic staffers and builders in a week, but it did not happen. ”
Sudesh Raje, chairman, Pimpri-Chinchwad Housing Federation, said, “Our federation raised a voice, but nothing happened. The cost of disposal units is up to Rs 10 lakh, and the electricity bills are very high.In PCMC, the end goal suffers due political influences.”
Meanwhile, Pimple Saudagar’s Roseland Residency bagged a national award for its solid waste management (SWM) initiative. Santosh Mhaskar, chairman of the society, said, “We started the disposal unit before the law came into existence.”
