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Journalism of Courage
In a bid to conserve a natural spring within city limits, environmentalists have demanded that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) declare the land plot with natural spring in Bavdhan as a reserved site in the Development Plan (DP) of the city. They have said that unless this was included in the DP, they would approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The Maharashtra Water Resource Regulatory Authority (MWRRA), Ground Water Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) and SDO Maval-Mulshi have already declared the natural spring in Bavdhan as a water resource and emphasised on the need for its conservation. The three agencies have issued directions to the PMC, saying it is the responsibility of the local civic body to conserve it.
He said that the MWRRA had even constituted a committee for conservation of the natural spring in Bavdhan and the municipal commissioner is one of its members. The civic chief should ensure that there is no construction work allowed in the vicinity of the natural spring, and the committee had even directed the PMC to come up with a time-bound action plan for it.
If the natural spring is lost, then the committee and the PMC would be held responsible for it, said the environmentalists. The GSDA rules do not allow construction work around the natural spring and the PMC should implement them. The environmentalists said they have been frequently communicating with PMC on conservation of the natural spring but the civic administration has not been responding to them.
