Pune: Residents have raised concerns over rising levels of dust and air pollution in Wakad, alleging that vehicles transporting construction material from the ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants are flouting traffic and environmental norms.During a meeting with local police on Thursday, residents claimed that despite prohibitory orders, construction firms and RMC units continue to operate during restricted hours, worsening air quality. They have also warned of a protest on Nov 15 if the authorities fail to take action. A similar protest was held by the residents in March with same demands.Purushottam Patil, secretary of Elite Homes Housing Society, said, “The number of heavy vehicles from RMC plants has increased sharply. The PCMC is not cleaning the roads, resulting in a thick layer of dust that adds to air pollution and poses serious risks to two-wheeler riders.”Ashwini Gaikwad, assistant municipal commissioner, told TOI that the matter was already brought to her notice after which the roads were cleaned. “The particular road facing the issue is currently being cleaned manually by PCMC staff. We have recommended that it be added to the list of roads regularly cleaned through mechanical sweeping machines. The health department will take necessary action based on the agreement with the contractors operating these machines,” she said.As per the traffic police advisory, movement of heavy vehicles within city limits is prohibited between 8am and 12pm and from 4pm to 9pm. Vikas Shinde, another resident, said trucks ferrying construction material often spill debris on roads, which is a violation of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) norms. “The problem eased during the monsoon when showers settled the dust, but now it’s back. Commuting has become difficult and traffic congestion has worsened,” he said.Representatives of 38 housing societies, located between Panash Housing Society and Shani Mandir Road in Wakad, submitted a letter to the police on Thursday under the banner of the ‘Wakad Tathawade Housing Societies Forum’. The letter stated that they would stage a demonstration at the local ward office on Nov 15.Madhukar Thorat, assistant inspector (Traffic) of Wakad division, said six to seven RMC plants located in the vicinity of these societies fall outside PCMC limits, but their vehicles use the same internal roads. “We have set up a checkpoint at the PCMC border to ensure these vehicles follow the restricted hours rule. Violators are fined on the spot and their vehicles are stopped and restricted from entering the city limits during the restricted hours,” he said, adding that the number of offenders has reduced following stricter checks. “Earlier, we had been detaining around 100 vehicles a day, but the number has now dropped to about 50.”Madhukar Jadhav, sub-regional officer of MPCB, said the board has stepped up monitoring of RMC plants. “We are already taking action under the revised guidelines and will inspect plants in these areas as well,” he said.
