‘This is just a beginning’: As PCMC stays RFD work in Pimple Nilakh, green groups galvanised to continue protests

“We have asked the firm involved, B G Shirke Constructions Technology Pvt Ltd, to stop the work for now on a 400 metre stretch in Pimple Nilakh area. This is being done with the objective of redesigning the project on this stretch. At the time of execution, as per the site condition, we revise the design. As per the revised drawings, we will execute the project,” he said.

Kulkarni said the irrigation department has asked the civic body to redesign the stretch work following protests from citizens and environmentalists. Work on the remaining nine km will continue.

The RFD aims to beautify a 44 km river stretch of Mula and Mutha rivers that flow through the city. It has become a cause of protests by citizen groups who point out the threats to biodiversity and the dangers of concretisation, which include urban flooding, among others. The protests culminated in a civil society march, “Nadi Sathi Nadi Kathi” to the Dada Ghat Shamshan Bhumi in April. It is this site where the work has been stayed at present.

Citizen groups, suspecting that the RFD was motivated by commercial interests, have been knocking on almost every door and have even met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ensure that the civic bodies concentrate on cleaning the river and following a scientific process in developing the riverfront.

On May 1, Delhi-based politician Maneka Gandhi had spoken to Shekhar Singh, the PCMC chief, and asked him to send a team with Aditya Paranjape, the Hon Wildlife Warden, to “see what is happening”. On Friday, Gandhi welcomed the news of the stay on the RFD on the 400 m stretch. “Rivers are more important than anything else and river ecology is the most important,” she said.

The stay on the project has come as an encouragement for citizen groups. Dhananjay Shedbale, who had been a part of the group that had sat in hunger strike before the PCMC office against the RFD, said, “The latest development of ceasing the work is the result of the protest movement that has been going on for two months. Our demand is ‘clean water, clean river’ and not concretisation. We reached out to the masses and to the decision makers and went up to the Chief Minister.”

Shedbale added that “this is just a beginning”. “I am hopeful that the authorities will realize that this project, called river rejuvenation, is really a river-killing project. The focus should not be on construction but the constructive work of rejuvenation, i.e making the water clean from the origin till the confluence. Only then, will rivers flow and the river ecosystem will flourish. It will help the city and the purpose will be served,” said Shedbale.

It is evident that Pune will see more protests to drive the point about improving the river in the next few months, and not only on the PCMC side. “At present, work has been stayed only at Pimple Nilakh, which is a temporary and unpredictable response. They probably mentioned only Pimple Nilakh because, here, they have already violated an old NGT order. Citizens intend to continue the struggle until all encroachments in all riverbeds and on all riverbanks are removed,” said Shailaja Deshpande, among the most respected and vocal senior members of environment-conscious citizen groups.

Deshpande reiterated that, though ceasing of the work near Pimple Nilakh, is a positive response from authorities, it can be said to be very little and temporary. “It has taken huge efforts by citizens to consistently follow up with all government authorities, conduct awareness campaigns and hold umpteen meetings with different political leaders and ministries. Citizens have gone to Delhi and Mumbai and have banged on all possible closed doors. Our request is to remove dumping in the riverbed from Wakad to Sangvi. Both PMC and PCMC must consider citizens’ demands and modify their existing unscientific and damaging design,” added Deshpande.

The demand of citizens is not confined to only Mula near Wakad to Sangvi but for all rivers- Mula, Mutha, Mula-Mutha, Pawana and Indrayani. “Citizen groups are against the way the project is being implemented. We want the conditions of the rivers to be improved. Reviving river projects is required but not the way they are being implemented currently,” added Deshpande.