Pune: Residents of Wadgaonsheri and adjoining areas, including Viman Nagar, have been raising serious concerns regarding the garbage being littered in the neighbourhood, leaving a stink. Residents have been following up with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sanitation staff to clear the garbage, but some residents have been littering the cleared spots all over again. A strict mechanism and vigilance in these chronic spots have been planned together by residents and the civic sanitation staff.A resident of Belmac Society, Shruti Radhakrishnan, said that the visuals are very disturbing while passing through various lanes of the area. The residents have been following up for more than two months, involving all the PMC officials and also the local political leaders, but it seems like it’s just not enough. It tells us that the solutions that the PMC is working with now are grossly inadequate. Some drastic measures are required. We have to present the PMC with much better, different, and practical solutions. There is an urgent need for a detailed discussion with the PMC on the garbage issue.The footpath lining the wall of Bramha SunCity till the temple is filled with garbage, discarded furniture, and old vehicles. Mira Shah, another resident of the area, said that a list of 10 chronic spots has been submitted to local leaders and also the civic staff to keep a close watch and clear the areas on a regular basis.“The main issue is of garbage collection. It is not regular, which is leading to the piling up in some spots, raising the stink in the vicinity. We have also informed the sanitation staff regarding this, and we are hoping that action is taken quickly,” said Shah.The residents also pointed out to the authorities that, while the chronic areas were cleared as identified by the citizens, there were issues with the complete sweeping of the spots. Shivani Raje, a resident of Viman Nagar, said, “We have seen some improvements in the area with respect to clearing garbage in corners, footpaths, outside societies, and others, but after the garbage is lifted, the sanitation staff also needs to sweep the area. Without it, the spot still looks very dirty.”When contacted, Mukund Gham, the divisional sanitary inspector, said, “In the past few weeks, our staff has been relentlessly working to clear the garbage in coordination with the residents. However, there are some typical spots where the nearby households are not cooperating and dumping their litter on the road. Many of these houses are independent, but they need to pay the Swachh staff to lift their garbage on a daily basis, which is not happening. As a result, despite clearing the garbage from the roads, there is a pile-up in the following days.”
