Pune: The 13-year-old garbage management crisis in Chakan and surrounding areas is set to get a permanent solution. The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will set up a centralised solid waste processing plant on 36.50 acres of land in the Chakan MIDC area, officials said on Thursday. The plant will cater to 19 local self-government bodies. These include the Chakan and Rajgurunagar municipal councils and 17 surrounding gram panchayats.
The land near the ESR at Point No. 4 in Chakan MIDC has been identified for the project. As per state government directions, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will provide the land. PMRDA will construct the centralised waste processing facility. The decision was taken during a joint review meeting held at the PMRDA headquarters in Akurdi on Thursday (August 20). The meeting was attended by Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi, PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhari, Khed-Alandi MLA Babaji Kale, MIDC officials, municipal council chief officers, sarpanches and village development officers.
The project is being planned to meet the waste processing needs of the area for the next 30 years. Its capacity will be decided by considering future population growth and an estimated waste generation of 350 grams per person per day. The proposed facility is expected to make waste transportation easier. All 19 local bodies are located within a 20-km radius of the proposed plant. Most of them are between three and 18 km away.
Under the proposed system, municipal councils and gram panchayats will have to collect waste from their areas, ensure 100% segregation and transport it to the central processing plant. Chaudhari said gram panchayats joining the project would have to pay a fixed tipping fee for waste processing. Each gram panchayat will also have to pass a formal resolution to participate in the project.
The authorities are also working on providing vehicles for waste collection and transportation. Funds from the 15th Finance Commission, local body funds and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds will be considered for this purpose. Dudi assured that gram panchayats that cannot purchase vehicles using their own funds would be supported through CSR funds. He also urged more gram panchayats to join the system.
The issue has become more serious due to rapid urbanisation and industrial growth in the Chakan and Khed areas. The lack of a centralised waste management system has placed an increasing burden on local bodies. Kale said the garbage problem in the Chakan and Khed MIDC areas had become critical over the years. He said the proposed project would help provide a permanent solution.
He also urged all concerned local bodies to pass the required resolutions and participate in the centralised system. The meeting also discussed the operational process of the proposed plant and the responsibilities of the participating local bodies. Officials from PMRDA, MIDC, the two municipal councils and Khed block administration attended the meeting along with representatives of the 17 gram panchayats.
