Pune: The garbage crisis in Loni Kalbhor and neighbouring villages along the Pune-Solapur Highway, roughly 20km from the city, intensified on Wednesday after MIT-ADT students blocked trash-laden trucks from entering the illegal dumping ground on the Mula-Mutha riverbed behind the campus through the institute’s gate. The students’ move followed years of administrative inaction, especially after a massive fire at the dump last week burned for three days and enveloped the campus in smoke. Zilla parishad staffers from both villages told TOI that a meeting on Monday between MIT-ADT officials and representatives of Kadamvakvasti and Loni Kalbhor concluded with a decision to develop a common waste-processing facility on a land parcel in Loni Kalbhor. “The project will, however, take at least two months to become operational. Till then, the waste has to go somewhere. But with MIT-ADT shutting its gates, we have no place to send the waste,” an official said.A follow-up meeting in the presence of police on Wednesday failed to break the deadlock as MIT-ADT stood firm. The students questioned the prolonged inaction of the administration and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), accusing them of allowing unregulated dumping on the riverbed for years. Mangesh Karad, executive president of MIT-ADT, said, “Nearly 35 garbage trucks unload waste on the riverbed every day.“Jayati Kichandare, a computer engineering student, recalled the night of Feb 26 when smoke from the dump triggered coughing and eye irritation while she was studying in the hostel. “The stench was unbearable. Our exams are on, but for three days the entire campus was blanketed in smoke. The mess is right next to the river, and it became impossible to even eat. Despite the fire, the dumping continued. We’re especially concerned for the young children in the Gurukul residential school,” she said, adding that students had even asked for exam postponement to continue protesting.Arya Choudhary, a fourth-year design student, said garbage trucks would not be allowed to enter the campus anymore. “It’s not just about the fire. Dumping garbage into the river or on its bed is fundamentally wrong. It pollutes both river water and groundwater. The administration needs to act immediately. The situation and stench becomes unbearable during the monsoon,” she said.MIT-ADT registrar Mahesh Chopde urged the district administration to take immediate cognisance and allot alternative land to local gram panchayats for scientific solid waste management.Repeated attempts to contact Appasaheb Gujar, deputy CEO (water and sanitation), Pune Zilla Parishad, went unanswered. A senior ZP official, however, said the area was under PMRDA jurisdiction and that land allocation must come from the district collector’s office. “A previous proposal for a solid waste management plant was rejected by PMRDA due to various issues,” the official said. PMRDA commissioner was unavailable for comment till going to press.Both gram sevaks of Loni Kalbhor and Kadamvakvasti said they had submitted a proposal to acquire land on lease through ZP. “But if the gate remains closed, the villages will face severe difficulties as there is no alternative access road to the site,” a gram sevak said.MPCB takes cognizance of TOI reportMaharashtra Pollution Control Board officials carried out an on-site inspection and issued notices to gram panchayats, taking note of TOI report on the March 1 fire at the Loni Kalbhor garbage dump. The notices stated that the panchayats had violated provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and directed them to stop dumping waste in the river and prepare an action plan for proper trash management.“We found that mixed urban solid waste is being dumped unscientifically by the gram panchayats at the site. The waste has spread uncontrollably and is accumulating in the Mula-Mutha riverbed,” Navnath Awatade, sub-regional officer, MPCB, said.The MPCB letter stated that no relevant department appeared to have permission to use the site for dumping, as mandated under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. “Authorities have been told to ensure that under no circumstances should solid waste from the site enter or mix with the Mula-Mutha riverbed,” it said, while recommending setting up a fire control room to prevent health hazards for residents, students and staffers of nearby educational institutions in case similar incidents recur. — Ardhra Nair
