Pune: Residents of Kharadi have raised serious concerns over worsening garbage management in the area, despite it being one of Pune’s prime residential and IT hubs with high real estate prices.
According to locals, volunteers recently cleaned a garbage dump opposite Marvel Zaphir in Kharadi. However, the area was littered with waste again the very next day, highlighting the persistent nature of the problem.
Members of the Kharadi Residents' Welfare say the issue stems from the existing waste collection system. They allege that garbage contractors demand money from residents for door-to-door waste collection, even though citizens already pay taxes to the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Residents claim that housing societies which pay additional fees receive regular garbage pickup, while many people from nearby areas avoid paying these charges and instead dump waste on roadsides and open spaces. As a result, garbage piles frequently appear across the locality.
“Kharadi has some of the highest real estate prices in Pune, yet residents are forced to walk on roads while covering their noses because garbage piles are everywhere. This situation is unacceptable,” said Akshay Poorey, Joint Secretary of the Kharadi Residents' Welfare.
Poorey said cities like Indore have successfully implemented disciplined door-to-door waste collection systems that prevent roadside dumping. “Kharadi deserves the same level of civic management,” he said.
Residents have urged the civic administration to address the root cause instead of relying on temporary measures such as sending municipal staff to clear garbage after complaints are raised. They have also demanded that the local corporator intervene and stop the alleged illegal collection of money for waste pickup. Residents have called on the PMC to overhaul the waste management system in the area and ensure regular garbage collection without additional charges.
Garima Sexena, a resident of Kharadi, said, “Some of us met the corporator and raised these issues. He acknowledged there are problems but asked us what could be done if people lack civic sense. Though he did not refuse to help, he asked for solutions from our side. We have already raised multiple complaints through the PMC Care app and the Swachhata app, but nothing has changed. Today, we spoke to residents of Marvel Zephyr as well, and they are also fed up. They have complained several times, and it seems people have now given up hope of a long-term solution to the garbage menace in the area.”
Resident Dilip Shinde said, “The contract workers who are supposed to clean the roadside are also dumping litter at the same place. When asked, they say their contractor told them to dump it there. This raises questions about how the city is actually being cleaned if garbage is simply picked up from one side of the road and dumped at another spot where garbage is already lying. It looks like the focus is only on earning money.”
He further added, “I have also observed that some people refuse to give their garbage to the collection vehicle or the cleaning staff trolley because they are asked to pay around ₹100 per month. Instead, they throw the garbage at night or early in the morning at these chronic dumping spots.”
Surendra Pathare, corporator from Ward No. 4, said the civic body collects garbage from every society. “Societies are not the ones dumping garbage on the roads. PMC and volunteers regularly clean the area, but people continue to dump waste, which shows a lack of civic sense. If door-to-door collection is happening, why are people still throwing garbage on the road? Some restaurant owners and others near residential areas do not want to pay even ₹50, and they are the ones dumping waste on the roadside,” he said.
Jyoti Bhalerao, sanitary inspector of the Kharadi ward at the Pune Municipal Corporation, said, “People are dumping waste on the roadside. We fine them, but the problem is that they dump it during the night or early morning. People from other areas come on two-wheelers and four-wheelers just to dump garbage at these spots. We clean the area whenever complaints are raised, but this is also about civic sense.”
