Housing society representatives voice concern over PCMC’s wet waste processing directive

Pune: Representatives of housing societies met Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) officials on Thursday and voiced concern over the new directive mandating onsite wet waste processing for large residential complexes.Earlier this month, the civic body issued notices to “bulk waste generators” (BWGs)— defined as societies generating over 100 kg of wet waste daily, occupying an area of 20,000 sq. m or more, or consuming over 40,000 liters of water per day. The notices warned that PCMC would stop collecting wet waste from these societies starting July 1, requiring them to process it within their own premises.The move has met with fierce opposition. Residents have threatened to dump accumulated waste in public spaces or outside the municipal commissioner’s office if the civic body follows through on its plan to halt collection.Sanjeevan Sangle, president of the Chikhali-Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Societies Federation, highlighted the logistical nightmare many complexes face. “We informed the administration that on-site processing is simply not feasible for many societies due to space constraints and technical challenges. If enforced blindly, residents will have no choice but to protest by dumping waste on the streets,” Sangle said.

He also pointed to a systemic failure in urban planning, questioning how large projects were granted completion certificates without functional waste infrastructure. “The solid waste management rules have been in effect since 2016. They rules clearly state that permissions should not be granted unless waste processing provisions are in place. However, the PCMC building permission department approved these projects anyway.

The civic body should hold the officials who sanctioned these projects accountable rather than penalising residents,” he added.Financial burden is another major concern. Sachin Siddhe, chairman of Nano Homes Housing Society and a Federation member, noted that many societies were already struggling with high maintenance costs following post-pandemic regulations in 2021.“Societies with 250 to 300 flats are already spending between Rs18,000 and Rs20,000 a month on waste processing.

Housing societies have become a soft target for every municipal issue. Waste management is a fundamental responsibility of the corporation. If the PCMC cannot handle the load, it should stop granting approvals for new housing projects,” Siddhe said.Responding to the outcry, additional municipal commissioner Kuldeep Jangam clarified that the civic body was implementing national regulations mandated under the solid waste management rules.“The meeting was convened to hear the residents’ grievances. We have decided to first conduct a comprehensive survey of all bulk waste generators in the city,” Jangam said. “Based on those findings, we will coordinate with the building permission department and the district deputy registrar of co-operative societies to find a middle ground.”