In the face of the issue of garbage accumulation on Saturdays and Sundays attributed to a significant portion of its cleaning staff taking weekends off, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is contemplating a reorganisation of the weekly offs for its cleaning workforce. Civic officials state that 9,800 employees are designated for road cleaning and garbage lifting tasks across the city, with approximately 4,000 engaged in doorstep garbage collection. However, during weekends, only half of the total workforce is available for work, resulting in piles of garbage on roadsides.
The civic body is confronted with the challenging responsibility of managing a daily waste generation of almost 2,200 tonnes. Considering this, the PMC aims to ensure a more equitable distribution of staff during weekends. It should be noted that the PMC has been striving to enhance its position in the annual Swachh Survekshan report. The civic body recently progressed from the 20th position to the 10th position in the list of the cleanest cities in the country. Tanisha Pawar, a resident from Hadapsar, emphasised the need for effective measures to address the escalating garbage issues.
She remarked, "The problem of garbage dumping has been increasing in the outskirts, especially on weekends. The PMC needs to streamline its workforce and implement an effective waste collection system to tackle the problem. The civic body also ought to assert its authority and impose hefty fines on the violators." Sakshi More, a resident from Balewadi, expressed optimism that improved garbage management during weekends would help alleviate the problem of unregulated trash accumulation.
She stated, "The lack of effective management by the PMC in the collection of garbage is evident from the insufficient provision of dustbins, compelling residents to litter in public spaces. The absence of garbage pickers on weekends exacerbates the problem, encouraging people to discard waste near the riverside or roadside. The weekend garbage collection is expected to improve the situation," she added, suggesting that the PMC should identify key garbage dumping spots and initiate action against those violating waste disposal regulations.
