Joshi okays civic proposal for garbage depots in Pune

Kalmadi, accompanied by State Legislative Council chairman Jayantrao Tilak and mayor Vandana Chavan, met the chief minister in Mumbai on Wednesday to seek the government’s cooperation in resolving pending civic problems faced by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The municipal administration had short-listed at least 10 sites for proposed garbage depots, Chavan told mediapersons. She refused to disclose the exact locations apparently to avoid opposition from the locals even before things start moving. The garbage collection by the municipal machinery is expected to increase from the present 800 tonnes a day to about 4000 tonnes by the year 2025. At least 14 more depots will be required to dispose of the garbage, Chavan added.

Kalmadi recalled that Joshi had assured the Congress delegation that state financial aid for developing the 36 villages merged with the PMC would be increased from 23.33 per cent of the estimation by civic authorities to about 50 per cent.

The municipal administration, which is developing these villages, had earlier sought the involvement of experts from the state town planning and public works department to plan and execute the infrastructural development in these villages. Joshi also said that he would consider the demand for waiving the Rs 2.25 crore being demanded as lease amount by the irrigation department for letting out the baby canal. This canal is required for laying the pipeline to carry raw water from the Khadakwasla dam to the Parvati water works to fulfill the city’s drinking water requirements.

Chavan said that she had requested Joshi to charge a nominal lease of rupee one a year for the baby canal, because the PMC had already given an undertaking to the irrigation department that the sewage would be treated and at least 6.5 thousand million cubic feet of treated water would be let out into the canal for feeding the farms downstream.