Pune, 25th January 2023: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is implementing the river bank improvement project by spending Rs 4700 crore. While environmentalist organizations have raised objections to the project, students have been targeted to show the public’s response to the project.
After it came to light that the PMC and the private school students have been given an application and instructed to fill in an affidavit for river improvement, the Nationalist Urban Cell raised objections and demanded to stop this practice. MP Vandana Chavan held a press conference and criticized the administration. NCP Spokesperson Pradeep Deshmukh and City President of Urban Cell Nitin Kadam were present.
Vandana Chavan said, “On behalf of the Nationalist Urban Cell, the errors and dangers related to the Mula Mutha river improvement and beautification project of thousands of crores being implemented on behalf of the PMC were brought to our notice. For this purpose, a presentation of the said project was also organized by an expert in the presence of the citizens of Pune and the relevant authorities of the PMC.”
“We have repeatedly informed you that this project may reduce the capacity of the river and lead to flood conditions. Even at the level of the state government, these doubts were raised on behalf of many experts from Pune and until this doubt is resolved, it was decided that the work of the said river improvement project should be stopped, but now unfortunately, the work of the PMC is starting to move the said project forward,” she added further.
Chavan said, “Some citizens have pointed out to us that on behalf of PMC, citizens’ affidavits are being filled through students to show their support for the scheme. Such an attempt is very shocking and reprehensible. For other important projects in Pune city, citizens’ suggestions are not heard and their sentiments are not respected anywhere. But now children are being lured with prizes, misleading them and getting affidavits filed by their parents through them, which is wrong and objectionable.”,
“Since this project is fundamentally technically flawed and there is a possibility of causing a serious natural disaster to the residents of Pune, the administration is determined to show that the said project is being supported with the approval of the citizens.” Chavan has demanded that the Municipal Corporation withdraw the “Pune re” campaign immediately.
