The aim behind the project was to demonstrate to citizens that garbage segregation can reap rich benefits. Besides, the ward office employees now have a garden where they can spend a few moments during their hectic day. The rooftop garden was inaugurated by MLA Girish Bapat on Thursday, who lauded the initiative and said that similar projects should be taken up at all ward offices. 

Ward officer Madhav Jagtap said the wet waste collected from some 100 households in the ward was used in the garden. “Wet waste was used as manure for the potted plants. Besides flowering and medicinal plants, we have also grown vegetables like pumpkin and bitter gourd,” Jagtap said. 

He added that the terrace garden will now be opened to the public to show them that they can grow their own plants using the wet waste generated at their homes. 

“We are planning to have 20-minute tours for citizens. They will be taken around the terrace garden and explained how it has been grown. We have put up informative boards about the medicinal plants,” Jagtap stated. “Ultimately, we want all the wet waste generated in the ward to be used within it for productive purposes such as this,” he added.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/Ward-office-uses-wet-waste-to-develop-garden/articleshow/4197852.cms]

IndianExpress/PUNE/19th Feb ‘09: Pune is aiming for a safari park each for leopards and deer, with the former planned under the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the latter on the terrain of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) The civic bodies are looking to allocate 100 acres for each project, but both will settle for 50.

Pune municipal comissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi said the civic administration was scouting for space to house the leopard safari park and has finally zeroed in on two spots. “One location under consideration is at Baner-Pashan and the other is inside Katraj Zoo. Both these spots offer ample scope to set up the park. The park is certainly coming up on any one of the two locations,” he said.

Pointing out that only Borivali has such a park at present, Pardeshi said the process for setting up a leopard safari park in Pune had begun after the civic body received an in-principle approval from the Chief Wildlife Warden, Nagpur. “We have appointed experts for preparing a plan for the park,” Pardeshi said, adding that frequent straying of leopards into city areas had prompted the move.

Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Asheesh Sharma said the deer safari park will come up at Talawade. “I have already written to the divisional commissioner and the district collector about allocating us 100 acres in the area,” he said.

Over 38 hectares (nearly 100 acres) in Talawade that belongs to the state government has been with the PCMC for maintenance. “Once we are allotted this land, we will start the works. The reservations for public amenities like garden and playground there would be clubbed together for the sake of the safari park,” he said.

Avinash Patil, deputy director of PCMC’s Town Planning department, said the Talawade land was handed over to the PCMC in 1997 for maintenance purpose and later fencing of the land was allowed.

PCMC’s zoo director Anilkumar Khaire said the “semi-dry” climate of Pune was suitable for the leopard and deer safari parks. “Both deer and leopards are common in Junnar taluka of Pune district,” he said.

Khaire said several types of deer are found across the country, but the PCMC will initially house at least three varieties of deer. “Those available in the Western Ghats will get top priority,” he said.

The PCMC will soon seek permission from the Central Zoo Authority for setting up the deer safari park. Pardeshi and his team of zoo officials had discussed the projects at a meeting last month with minister Ajit Pawar.

Pet cemetery

The plan to set up two safari parks follows the distinction of a unique pet cemetery, arguably the first in the country to be set up by a civic body. Set up by the PCMC at Nehrunagar in April 2007, it has had over 400 burials so far.

[source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/spot-a-leopard-in-city-and-a-deer-next-door/425477/]

[image courtesy: http://flickr.com/photos/arnolouise/2883943507/sizes/m/]

Speaking to TOI, municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma said that a detailed project report on water recycling has already been prepared. This report will soon be submitted to the Union government so that the corporation can implement the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

According to Sharma, the corporation is looking at providing 120 MLD treated sewage water for industrial use from its various sewage treatment plants including the one at Kasarwadi. “We will be able to provide water at competitive rates. The location of the STP at Kasarwadi is convenient for providing water in the industrial belt of Bhosari and Pimpri,” he said.

The PCMC is also looking at power generation from sewage treatment plants, though the plan is in the initial stage, Sharma said.

As part of the works to be completed under JNNURM, the PCMC has completed the work of construction of four sewage treatment plants at Pimpale Nilakh, Chinchwad, Ravet and Kasarwadi. At Kasarwadi, the corporation already has one plant of 40 MLD capacity which is functional. Another plant of the same capacity is being built there. The other STPs that are functional include Chinchwad (30 MLD), Pimpale Nilakh (20 MLD), and Chikhli (32 MLD). The PCMC proposes to start more STPs at Akurdi (30 MLD), Ravet (20 MLD), Chinchwad (30 MLD) and Charholi (21 MLD).

Incidentally, district guardian minister Ajit Pawar had asked the PCMC to undertake water recycling projects on a large scale. His suggestion had come at a function in May last year when he laid the foundation stone for the Rs 400-crore ambitious project of laying a direct pipeline from Pavana dam to Ravet to meet the water supply needs of the twin township. He had pointed out that the Pavana river, from where PCMC draws nearly 340 MLD water for drinking purposes, gets highly polluted from Chinchwad onwards, due to release of domestic and industrial effluents from the twin township.

Meanwhile, welcoming the increased allocation for JNNURM projects in the interim Union budget, Sharma said that the municipal corporation wants to focus on the Pavana river improvement project. Similarly, development of two temples along the Pavana river banks the Moraya Gosavi Samadhi temple in Chinchwadgaon and the Jhulelal temple in Pimpri, as heritage structures, is top priority. The PCMC also wants to start work on stormwater drainage and nullahs, he said.

Regarding works related to BRTS which are to be funded under JNNURM, Sharma said the PCMC has received sanction for four routes. The PCMC, he said, wants to complete the Nashik phata flyover on top priority. The work, which is funded under JNNURM, is estimated to incur an expenditure of over Rs 90 crore. The corporation has already floated tenders for the work, he added.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/PCMC-planning-to-step-up-water-recycling/articleshow/4152204.cms]