The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has proposed a 150-tonne-per-day (TPD) solid waste processing plant at Theur in Haveli taluka. The facility is planned to serve 14 gram panchayats in eastern Haveli and create a centralised system for waste treatment and disposal as the area’s population and development increase.

PMRDA has identified 10 acres of gairan, or common grazing land, at Theur for the project. Officials said the proposed capacity had been assessed using population projections for the participating villages up to 2043. A review meeting was held at the authority’s headquarters in Akurdi on Tuesday in the presence of Shirur-Haveli MLA Dnyaneshwar Katke and Metropolitan Commissioner Abhijit Chaudhary.

The meeting was attended by senior PMRDA officials, including Additional Metropolitan Commissioner K Manjulakshmi, Chief Engineer for Special Projects Rinaz Pathan and Executive Engineer Anita Kulkarni. Representatives of the 14 gram panchayats, along with Zilla Parishad and Haveli administration officials, also participated in the discussions.

Under the proposed arrangement, gram panchayats within a 20-km radius of the plant would collect waste from their respective areas and transport it to the facility. They would pay a prescribed tipping fee for scientific processing, while each participating panchayat would be required to pass a formal resolution confirming its willingness to join the project.

Katke supported the proposal and indicated that assistance could be sought for financially weaker panchayats. He also plans to facilitate the purchase of garbage collection vehicles through funds available from the Zilla Parishad and District Planning Committee. Theur is the second major waste initiative being pursued by PMRDA after a centralised facility proposed for 19 gram panchayats and two municipal councils in the Chakan industrial belt. Together, the projects are intended to strengthen waste management infrastructure across the region’s industrial and semi-urban areas.