How Pune’s citizens are giving a green push to the Assembly elections

Mula river at Vaghacha ghat. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The 16-point manifesto included a demand to protect riverside ecology, safeguard floodplains and wetlands, reevaluate the Riverbank Improvement Project and preserve riverbank heritage. The construction boom is one of the concerns of the manifesto. The new government has been urged to replace the affidavit-based water supply assurances of developers with expert assessments of local water availability. “New construction permissions should rely on scientific, location-specific water data,” they said. Beginning with government and military buildings, there should also be mandatory rainwater harvesting and rooftop solar installations. This practice is to eventually include private and commercial properties.

“Citizens’ gatherings are essential to put pressure on the candidates. Now, we have candidates from opposing parties, who are saying that the Vetal Tekdi project, which involves construction on the hill, will not be allowed. How does that happen? It happens because citizens come out and make their voices heard. We see that, even on a smaller level, individual candidates are making statements about the environment that might not have been included in the manifesto. Everybody wants a clean and safe environment,” said Maitreya Ghorpde, a lawyer with the National Green Tribunal.

Late last month, the Pune Citizen Manifesto was released by The Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti that demanded that the three projects – Bal Bharati-Paud Phata Road, HCMTR and twin tunnels from Panchavati-Sutradhara and Panchavati-Gokhalenagar – be deleted from the Development Plan of Pune city. (Image: vetaltekdi.com)

Late last month, the Pune Citizen Manifesto was released by The Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti that demanded that the three projects – Bal Bharati-Paud Phata Road, HCMTR and twin tunnels from Panchavati-Sutradhara and Panchavati-Gokhalenagar – be deleted from the Development Plan of Pune city. “We have been making these demands for a long time. We are also demanding that Vetal Tekdi is notified as a natural heritage site so that additional legal protections are provided and they should be declared as no construction zones,” said Angad Patwardhan of the citizen’s group.

He added that the larger issue of environment is generally ignored or placed on the back burner of political candidates, replaced by other valid issues such as education, employment and infrastructure. “The topic of the environment, which is linked to our existence and our future is, unfortunately, taking a backseat,” said Patwardhan.

Another manifesto is by YLAC Wataawaran and Parisar and titled Maharashtra Urban Mobility Charter of Demands. Released a month ago, it seeks changes in governance, public health and safety, public transportation and non-motorised transport and e-mobility. In the last section, the manifesto demands that 75 percent of all charging points within cities be powered by renewable energy by 2029, electrification of last-mile delivery fleets operated by aggregators, e-commerce and logistics, among others, as well as intra-city public transport fleets by 2029. “Ensure that, by 2029, 100 per cent of all lithium-ion EV batteries sold in the state is recycled,” the manifesto stated.

The deteriorating environment in the city includes not just air pollution but the destruction of open spaces, and green spaces, which in turn impact air pollution,” said Ranjit Gadgil, programme director, Parisar. (Image: X/@parisarpune)

“Air pollution is a silent killer. We don’t see it but it’s affecting us. What we have seen over the last few years is that awareness about the impact of air pollution on people’s health has been rising. A lot of people will be voting for candidates with a better track record in environmental protection. The deteriorating environment in the city includes not just air pollution but the destruction of open spaces, and green spaces, which in turn impact air pollution,” said Ranjit Gadgil, programme director, Parisar.

For Mukund Mavalankar, who installed solar rooftops at his home in 2010 and upgraded it in 2019 so that all the energy requirements come from the sun, it is significant that COP29, the most powerful global meeting on climate, is underway in Azerbaijan. “What everybody, especially politicians, should understand is that the only way we can mitigate climate change is by reducing our emissions. China has taken a leadership position in renewables, They are a powerhouse of solar and wind energies and electric vehicles. More than 70 per cent solar panels, which are used in India, are from China. Indian politicians should rise above their petty differences and have a view on climate change,” he said.