The industrial town of Pimpri-Chinchwad has failed to implement waste management rules for housing societies. According to the solid waste management rules, it is compulsory for bulk wet waste producers such as housing societies that generate over 100 kg of wet garbage waste every day to treat it on-premises.
With a total of 2,000 housing societies, only 128 of them have availed the facility. In Pune out of 4,078 housing societies, 2,843 housing societies have established a bulk wet waste disposal facility inside their premises. The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 (SWMR) were issued in April 2016, to develop a framework for scientific waste management over urban settlements.
Ajit Deshmukh, head of the solid waste management department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), told the media that PMC began a drive of issuing notices and collecting penalties from housing societies.
PMC also warned societies that if they do not process wet garbage produced in their premises, the civic body will stop picking it up. The PMC collected penalties worth Rs 2.5 lakh from 46 housing societies.
Sanjeevan Sangle, Chairman, Chikhali-Moshi Cooperative Housing Societies, told the media that the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is lagging as the builders never gave amenities to the housing societies still, the PCMC building permission department gave completion certificates to these builders.
In the meantime, Pimple Saudagar’s Roseland Residency got a national award for its solid waste management (SWM) action. Santosh Mhaskar, chairman of the society, said that they began the disposal unit before the law came into existence.
