Hey folks, exciting news coming out of Pune today! The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has given the green light to the Mula-Mutha riverbank rejuvenation project, dismissing opposition petitions after the approval of revised environmental clearance. This means the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) can now speed up work on this important project.
The PMC started work on the rejuvenation project back in March 2022, focusing on areas between Sangamvadi and Bund Garden, as well as from Bund Garden to Mundhwa Bridge. They’ve made great progress so far, with 85 percent of the work from Sangamvadi to Bund Garden already completed and 27 percent from Bund Garden to Mundhwa Bridge finished.
However, not everyone was on board with the project initially. Some environmentally conscious citizens raised concerns about river flooding and tree cutting, leading to a petition filed by Sarang Yadavadkar with the NGT. During the hearing, the NGT ordered the PMC to pause certain activities until they obtained the revised environmental permit, causing some delays.
To secure the revised environmental clearance, the PMC submitted a detailed report to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). Unfortunately, delays occurred due to a lack of appointed SEIAA members, pushing back hearings and permission processes.
But there’s good news! In a recent hearing at SEIAA, the PMC’s plan was deemed suitable, and permission was granted. With this approval in hand, the PMC submitted the revised environmental clearance to the NGT. And today, Yadavadkar’s petition was finally rejected, with Advocate Rahul Garg representing the PMC in the hearing.
The riverbank rejuvenation project is a massive undertaking, involving the cleaning of 44 km of the river surface in 11 phases. The total cost of the project is estimated at ₹4,727 crore. It’s great to see progress being made to protect and improve our environment in Pune! Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting project.
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