Pune: Hadapsar Residents Propose Decentralised Waste Solutions After HC Rejects Relocation Plea

The Bombay High Court in September 2025 rejected a petition seeking relocation of the garbage processing unit from the Hadapsar industrial estate to an alternate site and directed Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Cantonment Board to ensure scientific processing of solid waste. 

The court also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to act against any violation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules by the civic bodies or their contractors at the site.

However, despite the rejection of a petition seeking relocation of the garbage depot, the residents once again highlighted the poor state of waste management coordination between PMC and the Cantonment Board and are also giving alternate solutions to the issue. 

Poonam Punjabi, a concerned resident, said,  "After repeated requests, Kartik, an official from Chinchwad, finally visited the site upon inspection. He was shocked to see the unhygienic conditions and uncollected garbage piled up in the area. Both PMC and the Cantonment authorities blamed each other for the issue, citing lack of funds, labour shortage, and poor coordination as excuses.”

“We urge you to ensure that all garbage trucks parked outside the depot are moved inside and that anti-odour medicines are sprayed regularly. We also request regular patrolling and installation of CCTV cameras around the depot for monitoring. Because of the movement of heavy garbage trucks, the conditions of the road are bad and are filled with slush, posing a risk to residents and workers. We almost slipped several times." 

Ashish Vaishnav, director at Gangotri Energy, focused on decentralised solutions to waste, especially dry waste; every waste needed processing. The residents are suffering because of the garbage dump. The authorities are sending dry waste from the Hadapsar ramp cement plant to Chandrapur in Vidarbha and Karnataka to make Refuse-derived fuel (RDF), a high-calorific value fuel made from processing dry, non-recyclable waste like plastics, paper, and textiles. 

“We are suggesting why transport this dry waste, as the transportation cost is too high. We can simply process this waste here by sending it to industrial boilers and co-firing them with other fuel, and the boilers follow the CBCB law,” Vaishnav explained.

“If it is scientifically burnt, it will have less impact then. We are doing it in a pallet form, we are sending it to the boilers and co-firing dry waste, complying with CBCB norms. We want to create a system that helps solve the waste disposal across Pune,” Vaishnav added.

Jai Singh Sampad, a factory owner, said, "We are not highlighting the issue, but we are also providing solutions. The administration, instead of pointing fingers at each other, should take some concrete actions."