Indian Express 22.12.2009
Hill meant for bio-diversity park becomes dumping ground
The hill in Bavdhan Khurd is slowly being razed and at the same time debris from construction sites in city is being dumped there to level the land. All this is happening in a zone reserved for bio-diversity park (BDP). Still the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims it has been protecting the hills.
The hill between Kothrud and Pashan was declared BDP zone with no construction activity allowed in the land – a status that still continues. Most of the hills belong to the state forest department, while a part of it, towards Chandni Chowk, is privately owned.
A visit to the site reveals that dumping of debris is rampant on the hill with loads of construction waste material finding its way to level the region with regular frequency — an activity that private land owners engage in to level their plots.
“Trucks have been seen ferrying on the hill for a few months now. While the activity is not carried out at a frenetic pace, the trucks are visible during night. I had called up the authorities informing them of what seems to be an illegal activity and for a few days after that the work came to a halt. But it soon started and is going on even today,” said a resident of Pashan staying in the vicinity.
The citizens want protect the hill land and take up plantation there to improve the green cover in the BDP. “The green cover on the forest land can be extended to the private land,” another resident said.
Aundh ward officer Jayant Bhosekar, whose office is close to the hill, said his jurisdiction ends near the hill and it was up to Karve Road ward office to iniitiate action.
Karve Road ward officer Nitin Udas, whose office is quite far from the Bavdhan-Khurd hill, said that he was unaware of any such activity taking place on the hill. “We had taken action against a few people carrying out work without the permission of the civic body,” he said. There have been not many complaints about illegal activities on the hill, he added.
“The land on the hill is either owned by the forest department or by private people, but it is covered under BDP. There cannot be any work done without the permission of the civic body,” said Udas. The civic administration would soon initiate action against such illegal levelling of the hill, he said.
