The Times of India               10.07.2013

PCMC to present ESR after three years

PUNE: After three years, the PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is set to present the environment status report (ESR), later this month. The report includes details about the natural resources, factors affecting environment, air and noise pollution levels, and measures taken by citizens and the civic body to protect the environment.

Sanjay Kulkarni, executive engineer of the environment cell, PCMC, said, "The civic body has allotted a contract to a private agency to prepare the environment status report for the next three years. The report for 2012-13 is being prepared. The draft in English is ready, while it is being prepared in Marathi. We will submit it to the GB by this month."

Kulkarni said the report will be prepared according to the format provided by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The civic body has provided the records to the agency to prepare the report. It will also include a chapter on the measures that need to be taken for conservation and improvement of the environment, he added.

No reports were prepared for three consecutive years until 2011-12 as the civic medical and health department could not compile the information on time. They blamed the other civic departments for not providing the necessary information. Later, the civic administration formed a separate environment cell and entrusted the responsibility of preparing the report. The cell, in turn, appointed a private contractor for the job.

Environment activist Vikas Patil said the civic environment cell is not bothered with the report coming out on time. "The cell as well as the civic health department has not prepared the reports in the past three years. The report has to be prepared and submitted to the state government and MPCB before July 31 each year."

"The civic body should have prepared the draft report and presented it to the citizens in the first week of July for their suggestions. The civic body must then present the draft report to the civic general body in the second week of July to seek its approval where the elected representatives can make changes in it. In the fourth week, the civic body must prepare the final draft, print it and submit copies to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, state government, collector and other authorities as per the law," activist Vikas Patil he added.