A Rough Ride In Hilly Pashan

“The Pashan area was known for its green cover and beautiful lake but it has changed drastically in the recent past. The dumping of debris in nullah and the Ramnadi has disturbed ecology of the area and it is now prone to floods,” said Bhalchandra Jagdale,a resident of Pashan.

The housing societies have to grapple with the problem as rainwater from the hills during monsoon have been entering the premises,he said,adding that the civic administration has failed to initiate effective steps to resolve the issue.

“Some developers have been encroaching upon the nullah and river land,” he alleged. A survey after the floods in Ramnadi few years ago had revealed that the river path had been reduced in the past few years.

Suman Deshpande,another resident,said citizens get worried whenever there is heavy rainfall and are scared to let family members out. “The situation has arisen due to the civic administration’s failure to keep a check on encroachments,” she said,adding the local politicians have failed to resolve the problems of citizens. Corporator Pramod Nimhan of Pashan said he was “not interested in discussing such issues”. Zonal commissioner Vijay Dahibhate said the administration had surveyed natural streams and had undertaken cleaning work. “The encroachments have been removed and infrastructure set up to smoothen flow of water through the stream,” he added. The housing societies with boundary walls that block the flow of nullahs have been asked to make modifications so that flowing water does not change course. Dahibhate said the work would be over in a few months to avoid a repeat of situation of the previous year.