Pune: The Maharashtra Irrigation Department has removed a temporary fill that had been placed in the Mula River at Ambadvet in Mulshi tehsil for the Pune District for the construction of the Pune District Ring Road. Officials said the fill had obstructed the natural flow of the river.
The temporary structure had been created by Navyug Construction Company by dumping soil and other material into the riverbed to build a temporary bridge for construction work.
Due to the obstruction, water in the river had become stagnant, leading to a large growth of algae in the river water. This affected farmers, small industries and local residents who depend on the river for water.
Officials also found that the company had allegedly not taken the required permission from the concerned government departments before placing the fill in the river. Senior officials of the irrigation department said an investigation is ongoing into this matter, and further action will be decided after that.
Villagers and local representatives had raised repeated complaints about the issue. Following these complaints, the state’s Irrigation Department initiated action to remove the obstruction.
According to officials, the Pirangut Irrigation Branch in the Paud area of Mulshi tehsil had been issuing letters and notices to the company for nearly one and a half years, directing it to remove the fill from the river.
The operation was carried out to ensure that water released from the dam flows smoothly up to the last weir. The action was conducted under the guidance of Executive Engineer Digambar Mahadev Dubal.
Deputy Engineer Rahul Gavankar, Branch Engineer Kishore Chavan and staff members Mayur Bhutada, Arun Shinde and Balu Kedari were part of the team involved in the operation.
Officials said the removal of the fill is expected to help restore the natural flow of the Mula River.
