Journalism of Courage
With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) failing to segregate wet and dry garbage before dumping it on Uruli Devachi,villagers there on Thursday blockaded the site and forced the civic administration to look for alternative solutions.
Acting PMC Health Officer R R Pardeshi said the villagers blocked garbage carriers from dumping the waste. We are working hard to resolve the situation. We will meet the villagers on Friday, he said. Pardeshi was noncommittal on whether the waste will be collected on Friday,saying everything would depend on the outcome of the meeting.
He said the villagers will not allow the PMC garbage vehicles to dump the waste unless it is segregated before being brought to the dumping site. Despite repeated warnings nothing has been done by the civic body,Harpale said. We will not relent unless at least a written assurance is given to us, he added.
The PMC has been misleading the public that the waste is treated before dumping,he said. Dilip Mehta of Phursungi and member of Kachra Depot Hatao Sangharsha Samiti said the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board was informed that the villagers would not allow the PMC to dump waste if it is not segregated.
The dumping ground and the waste treatment plant have been functioning without the requisite approvals since 2000. The authorities have not extended the approval for dumping ground at Uruli Devachi, said Mehta. About 900 tonnes of garbage collected across the city is dumped at Uruli Devachi depot every day.
As per official records,the dumping ground has caught fire more than 900 times making it a dangerous proposition for the villagers.
