The Indian Express            15.06.2013 

3 cannon shells in 1 week prompts PMC to alert waste collection staff

"Recovery of cannon shells from the waste is a serious issue and could have resulted in major accidents leading to human loss. The PMC staff have to be careful in such situation and with their alertness can avoid any untoward incident," said additional Municipal Commissioner Rajendra Jagtap.

He said that the civic staff have been asked to be on alert while handling waste and to also inform the authorities as soon as possible.

"The civic staff would be given instructions on how to handle any suspicious item found while handling waste. The processing unit will be asked to be careful when they find any suspicious item," said Deputy Municipal Commissioner Pramod Yadava.

On June 11, a cannon shell was found in the solid waste plant of Pune Municipal Corporation near Ramtekdi in Hadapsar industrial estate area. A team of Wanavdi police, the bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) and also Army personnel reached the spot on getting the information and checked the cannon shell. Sources said the cannon shell was manufactured 15 to 20 years back. It carried high explosive content and could have caused damage on explosion.

Police said that PMC's solid waste plant to generate electricity is operated on BOT basis by Rochem Separation Systems India Pvt Ltd. Employees Kanifnath Jadhav and Suryakant Manjare found the cannon shell while working in the garbage depot of the solid waste plant. Soon, the police were informed. The length of the cannon shell is one foot four inches, and diameter is five inches and weight about 10 kg.

On June 12, the police got information of another cannon shell found at Omni Active Health Technologies Private Limited in Hinjewadi. However, police said the cannon shell was actually found while construction work for a transformer was going on inside the company premises on June 8. A construction worker Bhimrao Navsupe (38), who found the cannon shell, informed the company staff about it but kept the cannon shell aside on the company premises. However, on reading the news reports about the cannon shell found in the PMC's solid waste plant at Ramtekdi, the company staff informed the Hinjewadi police station. Police said the length of this cannon shell is about 11 inches with a diameter of about three inches.

Similarly, on June 7 a cannon shell had been found while digging land for construction work near Sayaji Hotel in Hinjewadi. Some months ago, a shell was found in a garbage depot in the jurisdiction of Loni Kalbhor police station.

Inspector Parshuram Patil of Hinjewadi police station said, "It is important to inform the police about objects like cannon shells. We would be handing it to Army through proper procedure."