In a mojor win for residents of Punawale and Pimpri-Chinchwad Cooperative Societies Federation (PCCSF), Industries Minister Uday Samant announces the cancellation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Project Garbage Depot by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), reassuring the opposition from locals.
The Minister's response to MLA Ashwini Jagtap's motion highlighted the decision to relocate the project, relieving concerns and marking a significant win for the community.
The forest department's possession of 22 hectares in Punawale, designated for the SWM project in 2008, has been a contentious issue. Despite previous payments and commitments by PCMC, the lack of efforts to acquire the land over 15 years has led to the emergence of residential projects, schools, and colleges in the vicinity.
The recent attempts to secure the land for a second garbage depot heightened tensions among residents. Chinchwad MLA Ashwini Jagtap strongly opposed PCMC's move to establish a garbage depot in Punawale, where residents had protested the plan over a decade ago, intensifying their agitation in recent months.
The first-time BJP MLA plans to address the issue in the Maharashtra Assembly through a calling attention motion, urging the scrapping of the depot plan in Punawale.
Recently, residents of Punawale in collaboration with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Cooperative Societies Federation (PCCSF), staged a silent bell-ringing protest against the proposed Solid Waste Management (SWM) Project Garbage Depot by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
The objective of the protest was to draw attention to the grievances of Punawale residents regarding the impending SWM project, accusing the PCMC of consistently disregarding their concerns. Earlier in November, the residents protested with a bike rally and Chipko movement.
