The Times Of India    17.08.2012

Debris dumping policy for Pune

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will make provision for space for dumping of construction debris in the city's new Development Control (DC) rules.The new Development Plan (DP) for the city will have a comprehensive policy for debris dumping as per the union urban development department (UDD) norms. The norms say that there should be an institutional mechanism to take care of the collection, transportation, intermediate storage (if necessary), utilisation and disposal of construction and demolition waste.

The UDD norms say that the civic authority should notify that no person should dispose of construction or demolition waste on the streets, pavements, storm water drains/open land owned by the municipality or the government.The environment status report of the PMC recently admitted that illegal dumping of construction rubble in the riverbeds and hills continued in the city.

About 100 tonnes of debris, which includes concrete, bricks, cement plaster and iron, is generated in Pune everyday. Civic activists have time and again expressed concern about the rivers getting affected due to dumping of debris in riverbeds. In many instances debris is dumped in the green belt of the river, affecting its natural flow.

Meanwhile deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has asked the civic administration to stop the dumping of debris along the river near Mhatre bridge and act against encroachments in nullahs. Several marriage halls have encroached upon the river near Mhatre bridge.This could prove dangerous during the monsoon as dumping of debris has reduced the river's carrying capacity, Pawar said.