Pune: Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday carried out a demolition drive against six ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants in the Dhayari area.According to civic officials, the drive was undertaken following complaints from residents regarding pollution caused by these plants. The illegal structures across six plants were demolished during the drive. “The plants were not operating in accordance with due process, and the operators had not obtained the necessary permissions. The drive will continue in the days to come,” said Somnath Bankar, head of PMC’s anti-encroachment department.However, residents claim that the action is merely eyewash, carried out as a formality, and argue that stringent action must be taken to resolve the issue permanently. “The administration must demolish the equipment and setups that are actually causing pollution. The civic body is not taking strict action against these plants. The administration must dismantle these facilities and shift them outside the civic limits,” said Rajendra Patil of RMC Virodhi Kruti Samiti, a citizens’ group fighting against illegal RMC plants.According to residents, many plants operate not only during the day but also at night, leading to severe air and noise pollution. Apart from this, the transport of mixed concrete is a major concern, as it has led to several accidents due to reckless driving by truck drivers.“The administration had promised to issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the plants. However, despite several months having passed, no such SOP has been provided, yet action is still being taken. We fear there is a personal agenda being promoted through these actions,” said Pradip Walhekar, president of Pune RMC Association.According to developers, factors such as the setting time of the mixed concrete should be considered before taking any final decisions regarding the RMC plants. Ready-mix concrete must reach the construction site from the plant within two hours of mixing. “An SOP should be framed that is beneficial to both citizens and RMC operators. While the pollution issues must be resolved, the solution should not create hurdles for real estate development in the city,” said Nitin Deshpande, president of Marathi Bandhkam Vyavsayik Association.Regarding Wednesday’s action, civic officials stated that the area contained six major plants, two of which were non-operational, while the demolition drive was conducted on the remaining units. The plants have since been sealed.PMC had previously demolished illegal structures in the Bavdhan area, including tin sheds and surrounding constructions at five ready-mix concrete units. These plants were allegedly operating without the required permissions from PMC and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).In a series of recent protests, local residents launched an online campaign against seven alleged RMC plants in their locality, sending over 2,000 emails to govt authorities over the past few days.Furthermore, the state environment department replied to a query raised by MLCs during the last monsoon session, stating that 28 ready-mix concrete plants in Pune were being shut down over compliance issues. The plants faced action for various violations, mostly related to regulatory non-compliance, while others were closed for operating illegally. Authorities also noted that many of these RMC units were significantly worsening the local air quality index (AQI).
