Rs 800-cr action plan for Bhima

The district collectorate and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board have drawn up a Rs 800 crore-plus action plan to address the pollution of Bhima river basin by 2012. The basin covers Mula,Mutha and Indrayani,Pavan in the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas in the district.

The action plan was presented to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at a meeting convened last year and attended by Environment Secretary Valsa Nair Singh and heads of both the civic bodies. “It is a detailed plan aimed at addressing the minutest of issues. The civic authorities should carry out the plan by securing the necessary funds for implementation,’’ MPCB regional head PB Mirashe said. He said short term measures had already been initiated by the local bodies,but some proposals had been forwarded to the Union Government seeking funds. “It will gain momentum only by 2012.” The plan will be monitored by a secretary-level committee,which will oversee the implementation and budget provisions for the Bhima River basin — including MIDC areas,PMC,PCMC,municipal councils,cantonment boards and zilla parishads. “It is the responsibility of all these local bodies to stop river pollution in their areas,” a collectorate official said.

The state and district-level committees were formed after the Health Department declared that 70 villages in the district were receiving polluted water. The committee,which studied the data from local bodies for around six months,had drawn out the action plan and this covers all the tributaries of the Bhima River,including Mula,Mutha and Indrayani.

Former district collector Chandrakant Dalvi,who chaired the meeting for preparing the plan,had noted that the rivers could be cleaned in three years if short and long term measures are followed and the requisite funds made available on time. The local bodies are expected to make budgetary allowances for the action plan or raise funds underschemes.

The plan is on the NIC website. “Many proposals have been forwarded to the Centre seeking funds while others are being allocated funds from civic bodies,’’ PMC official said.