Pune: Amidst Complaints of Delay, Additional Commissioner of PMC Directs Waste Processing Contractors to Begin Operations Early

Pune: In response to ongoing complaints about delays in the operation of solid waste treatment plants and the subsequent impact on garbage collection and processing in Pune, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken decisive action. On Tuesday, Additional Municipal Commissioner Prithviraj B. P. held a meeting with the contractors responsible for managing the city’s waste treatment plants, ordering them to commence operations earlier in the day.

The core issue revolves around the inefficiency caused by the late start of these waste treatment facilities. As per the information, Pune generates approximately 2,200 tonnes of waste daily, which is collected by the SWaCH organisation. This waste is segregated into dry and wet categories before being transported via garbage trucks to ramps or loading platforms, and then finally to waste treatment plants for processing.

However, despite the early start of waste collection in the city, municipal employees have raised concerns about significant delays at the treatment plants. These plants typically begin operations between 8 and 9 a.m., causing garbage trucks to queue outside the facilities for extended periods. This delay disrupts the entire waste collection process, as vehicles are forced to idle outside the plants, unable to complete their routes.

Adding to the inefficiency, municipal employees have also complained that during the afternoon hours, all workers at the solid waste treatment plants take their lunch breaks simultaneously, effectively halting operations at the plants. This has exacerbated the backlog of waste waiting to be processed.

Despite earlier orders by the Deputy Commissioner of the Solid Waste Department, regarding operationalisation of plants earlier, there has been little improvement in the situation. The continued delays have led to frustration among municipal workers and a noticeable disruption in the city’s waste management system.

In the meeting, Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B. P. issued firm instructions to the contractors to initiate waste processing activities at 7 a.m. moving forward. Additionally, he emphasised the need for staggered lunch breaks among workers to ensure that operations do not come to a standstill during the afternoon.