Depot gone, but collection of waste on at Kothrud site

PUNE: The garbage depot was moved from Kothrud around two decades ago, but its use for collecting waste never really stopped.
Residents might lobby for a memorial or a metro station in the place of the depot, but not many appear hopeful for it to happen.
Suresh Jagtap, chief of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) solid waste department, said the site is used for garbage collection and segregation for Kothrud and Warje.
“The segregated waste is then sent either for dumping or recycling. No waste is stored. With no other alternative location in the two areas, garbage will be collected in some part of the facility. Other projects have, however, been proposed,” he said.
While local corporators have pitched for a Shivaji Maharaj memorial — Shiva Srushti — at the site, Maha-Metro proposes to use the 28-acre land for a station on the Vanaz-Kothrud route.
P S Dandawate, a resident of the area, none of the projects may materialize. “We have fought for over 17 years to ensure that the land is not used as a garbage depot. Now, it is used as a site for dumping waste. Many projects, including a garden, have been planned since 2001. But nothing has moved forward,” he said.
Dandawate, who actively pursued a resolution on the issue for many years, said he might finally give up the fight. “The segregation is not done properly. But no one will officially call it a dump, as additional measures have to be undertaken to manage it,” he added.
Finally, it is the residents who suffer. A former Shiv Sena corporator and resident of the area, Shyam Deshpande, said no one wanted the site to be used for collecting waste.
“It is located in the western part of Kothrud. Hence, the stench is spread across the area. A garbage dump right in the middle of the city is hazardous to health. We would prefer a memorial and a metro station,” he added.