Domestic garbage, hazardous waste plague Bhosari MIDC area, PCMC fails to live up to expectations

Industrialists say the failure to dispose of the waste generated daily has created unhygienic and unhealthy conditions in the industrial belt.

The industrial area spread over 4,000 acres is home to over 3,000 to 4,000 industrial units. For years, it has been battling the problem of domestic and hazardous waste as neither the PCMC nor the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has taken full control of waste disposal.

The Indian Express team found that the hazardous waste was being openly burned. (Express Photo)

However, as the PCMC started implementing the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2019 across the city, it took the responsibility of collecting the waste from residential and industrial areas. It started imposing user charges on domestic waste on April 1 and promised to collect the garbage from industrial units on a daily basis. But garbage continues to be dumped at one place for days, creating ugly scenarios and health problems for the factory workers.

The civic body charges a minimum of Rs 100 and a maximum of Rs 200 for collecting domestic waste from the industrial area, apart from various types of taxes including road tax, and sewage tax.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari industrial area is divided into 22 blocks where the industrial units have set up shops. The MIDC area has micro, small, medium and big industrial units spread on 3,800 plots. Big names like Tata Motors, Thermax and Century Enka have been the jewel in the crown of the Bhosari MIDC. The plots here have been leased out by the MIDC for a 100-year period.

While the MIDC ensures water supply to the area, the PCMC looks after roads, garbage collection, drainage, street lights and others.

A small-scale industrialist from ‘J’ Block which comes under the ‘C’ zonal office of the PCMC, said to make matters worse the industrial units in MIDC are grappling with the problem of bad roads, unhygienic conditions and choked drains. “This is not something which is happening now but the situation has been similar for years. Despite the fact that PCMC gets huge amount of taxes from the industrial units, it has failed to take steps which will alleviate our miseries,” he said.

Foreigners who frequent the area for official purposes have also complained about the lack of cleanliness in MIDC areas. “Even at my unit, foreigners who are our clients complain about the unhygienic premises outside out unit. While they are impressed by the way we keep our unit spic and span, they lament that roads are not in a good state, drain water flows on potholed roads and garbage is found littered everywhere,” he complained.

Sanjeev Shah, president, PCMC CET Foundation, said the waste disposal issue is very serious in the Bhosari MIDC area. “Both domestic and hazardous waste is being dumped indiscriminately as the collection process has failed. The domestic waste is collected by PCMC while a private party collects hazardous waste and takes it to Ranjangaon.”

Shah pointed out that said that the real issue is that there are no garbage containers nor are there proper collection centres. As a result, after PCMC garbage collection vehicles are done for the day, the waste that is accumulated later in the afternoon is dumped by industrial units at vacant spots or along the roads at night. “Therefore you will see garbage lining the key roads,” he explained.

MIDC Bhosari area is also facing the problem of construction materials being dumped anywhere and everywhere. ”Currently, a lot of construction work is going on in the MIDC area. The rubble that is generated from the sites is dumped indiscriminately on roadsides,’ ‘he said.

Factory owners lament that the basic amenities are below expectations. Shah said that MIDS passes the buck to PCMC as it collects taxes. “PCMC collects property tax which is a huge sum running into lakhs. On the other hand, PCMC says the land belongs to MIDC, and hence it should also do its bit. But the current PCMC commissioner Shekhar Singh is receptive to our suggestions and complaints. We have held several meetings with him and he has promised to take necessary steps to resolve our grievances,” Shah said.

Abhay Bhor, president of the Forum of Small Scale Industries Association, said that PCMC is primarily responsible for the plight of industrialists.

“It collects all kinds of taxes from us and now is collecting user charges as well. But it has shunned away from the responsibility of ensuring basic amenities to thousands of industrial units in the Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari industrial area. They have not found a permanent solution to garbage dumping in the open area that has been there for years.”

The PCMC said it collects Rs 15 crore annually from the industrial area, a figure disputed by Bhor. ”They collect much more amount than they are citing. Crores are collected from us but when it comes to ensuring basic amenities, the PCMC has remained hard-hearted and negligent. The PCMC acts as if making money is its primary job and not ensuring comfort for the industries that provide jobs to lakhs of citizens from entire Pune,” Bhor lashed out.

Bhor said there is not a single road in the MIDC area where you will not find garbage dumped. ”Be it domestic, hazardous waste or construction material all kinds of waste are dumped on vacant lands, along the roads and in junctions. And the waste is burnt resulting in air pollution as well,” he said.

Compounding the garbage problem are the choked drains whose sewage water flows right onto the roads. “While arterial roads are in good condition, internal roads have drain water flowing through them,” Bhor said.

Tanaji Date, assistant health officer, who is from ‘C; zonal office of PCMC, said, ”Our zonal office has the maximum number of industrial units. We collect garbage from 7 am to 2 pm every day right at the gate of the industrial unit. But there are some industrial units that do not hand over their garbage to us,” Date said.

The waste is haphazardly packed in plastic bags and is dumped on the roadside. (Express Photo)

The units, the officer said, instead hand them over to scrap dealers and in return get some money out of it. “The scrap dealers collect the material which they require and then dump the rest anywhere in the industrial area. Therefore you will find plastic bags filled with garbage placed at one spot,” Date explained.

Bhor said if industrial units are found dumping garbage openly, they should be fined. ”I think PCMC has already started imposing fines. They should continue doing so,” he said.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner Yashwant Date said they collect garbage from industrial units on a daily basis. “The industries on their part should ensure that garbage is not dumped openly, thereby avoiding unhygienic and unhealthy conditions. We will soon conduct a meeting of the industrial units and try to resolve the problem of garbage dumping,” the assistant municipal commissioner said.