The Pune Municipal Corporation has been fined 1 crore 79 lakh 10 thousand rupees by the National Green Tribunal for causing environmental damage by establishing an illegal waste depot near the Wagholi Dagadkhana worker settlement in Pune. Additionally, the tribunal has instructed the Municipal Corporation to cease garbage disposal at the site and to remit the penalty to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board within two months.
The settlement, home to stone quarry laborers, has been plagued by garbage dumping since 2015, resulting in a significant accumulation of waste across two to three acres of land. This has led to foul odors affecting the residents and has raised health concerns among the workers. A previous complaint in 2016 urged for the relocation of the waste depot away from the residential area, which was filed by the Dagdakhan Kamgar Parishad and Sahiwal Sanstha with the Pollution Control Corporation.
The tribunal's ruling on the matter was issued on Wednesday, May 15, along with a two-month deadline for the Municipal Corporation to settle the imposed fine.