On Sunday, October 2024, citizens from across Pune gathered in large numbers at Vetal Tekdi to reaffirm their pledge to preserve and protect it. Citizens of all ages marched from Aapla Maruti to the quarry and back, calling for immediate action to protect the tekdis from devastating projects. The residents were seen holding placards reading ‘Vote for Vetal Tekdi’, ‘Our Tekdi, Our Right’, ‘No ARAI on Vetal Tekdi’, and ‘Save Tekdi, Yellow Ribbon Campaign’. A citizens’ manifesto was also released for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections.
Even before the Parliament polls, the Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti (VTBKS) had unveiled a 'Citizen Manifesto'. In the manifesto, the VTBKS demanded that Pune's new MP champion the preservation of Pune's tekdis and halt the proposed Balbharati to Paud Phata road project.
The event began with speeches from members of the Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti. They appealed to citizens to vote for candidates who openly support Vetal Tekdi and the hills of Pune. The central idea of the walk was to make Pune's environmental issues part of the Vidhan Sabha election agenda.
The citizens demand that their representatives work to remove three mindless, capital-intensive private transport projects from the Development Plan of Pune City. These are the Balbharati-Paud Phata Road, the High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR), and the twin tunnels from Panchavati-Sutardhara and Panchavati-Gokhalenagar—which will permanently destroy Vetal Tekdi. They suggested that improving PMPML services must be given high priority.
Sushma Date, an activist, said, “My vote goes to the party that will pledge to remove the tree-destructive projects from Vetal Tekdi and notify it as a natural heritage site and no development zone.”
The demands in the manifesto for the Vidhan Sabha elections include:
1. To delete the three destructive projects planned on Vetal Tekdi from Pune's Development Plan: the Balbharati-Paud Phata Road, HCMTR, and the twin tunnels from Panchavati-Sutardhara and Panchavati-Gokhalenagar—which will permanently destroy Vetal Tekdi.
2. To notify Vetal Tekdi and other tekdis in Pune as Natural Heritage Sites and No Development Zones.
3. To focus on strengthening public transport by improving PMPML, completing the Metro network, and enhancing last-mile connectivity. Improving PMPML services must be put on high priority.
The Vetal Tekdi Bachav Kruti Samiti (VTBKS) has been instrumental in the protests that led to the preservation of Vetal Tekdi. Following several small protests and online activism, on April 15 last year, the VTBKS organized a significant rally, bringing together various citizen groups and initiatives. This protest aimed to oppose the construction of the proposed 2.1 km-long road from Balbharati to Paud Phata. Despite the rain, the rally saw a huge turnout, highlighting the hill as a crucial poll point.
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