Wadgaon Sheri residents gear up for major cleanliness drive on Sept 14

Pune: After waging a losing battle against mounting garbage in their neighbourhood for months, residents of Wadgaon Sheri have taken matters into their own hands to keep their locality clean."We had followed up with the PMC repeatedly, even succeeded in getting stretches cleared overnight, but garbage piled up again. Unless residents change their behaviour and civic bodies act consistently, we'll keep fighting this battle," said Mira Shah, a local resident.They have decided to undertake a large-scale cleanliness drive on Sept 14 covering the Konark–Windsor Estate stretch, with tractor-trailers, labourers, volunteers, banners, and tools to remove garbage that has choked pavements and lanes for months. "This is not just a clean-up; it's a statement," said Shah, the lead organizer, urging residents and civic staff to act together for a cleaner neighbourhood.The decision was finalised at a meeting on Sunday at Nyati Meadows Clubhouse, where more than a dozen residents mapped out the cleaning routes, assigned teams, and planned a coordinated operation. Each team will inspect chronic garbage spots, rake, scrape, sweep, and collect every heap to ensure the pavements are visible and disinfected, he said.Earlier, two major clean-up interventions by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) brought temporary relief after stench and health hazards were reported across the area. Yet chronic dumping — especially near Nyati Meadows, Windsor Estate, and St Arnold's — continued. Officials have blamed households for avoiding door-to-door garbage collection and discarding waste on roads. The civic body has now promised stricter watch and regular drives.Rajan Batra, a member of the initiative, said, "Team members will interact with residents, encouraging them to hand over garbage to SWaCH and not throw waste on the road. We shall also learn how waste is collected and the problems faced by the residents in disposing of their waste."Residents said only joint effort will solve the problem. Posters have been pinned on shops, WhatsApp groups will spread awareness, and volunteers will engage citizens to encourage waste segregation and regular use of SWaCH services. Plans are also underway for World Cleanliness Day on Sept 20, with residents going door-to-door to promote "no litter", "no plastic bag" and "waste segregation" practices.Rajan Vishwanathan, who is managing the drive's logistics, said, "We're pooling in funds, hiring trailers, getting gloves and tongs — this is about owning our space and demanding accountability. More importantly, it is an attempt to showcase Wadgaon Sheri as a citizen-driven model suburb."