4 weeks Ago By Alim Shaikh
Pune: A delegation of environmental activists met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Tuesday and urged him to halt the ongoing works of the riverfront development project along Mula and Mutha rivers . The activists, under the banner of ‘Pune-PCMC River Revival', also requested Fadnavis to convene a meeting involving the irrigation department, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to address objections raised by citizens and environmentalists. PCMC recently began work on the riverfront development near Pimple Nilakh.
Residents and experts claimed that the beautification work along the rivers would reduce the riverbed's natural capacity by around 38% and increase the possibility of flooding in the city. Citing a report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the activists warned that increased rainfall — projected to rise by 15% to 37% due to climate change — could worsen flooding risk if natural flow of rivers is restricted. Residents and activists have planned a protest march on April 27 against the project.
Over 45 organisations and several political leaders, including those from the ruling party and opposition, have also extended their support for the march. The delegation, which met the CM in Mumbai, included Baba Bhoir, Dhananjay Shedbale, Narendra Chugh, and Tushar Shinde. They were accompanied by BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe.
"We demanded an open-platform meeting with officials from CWPRS, MPCB, and the irrigation department, as their guidelines and reports were being ignored while executing the project. The chief minister heard all our concerns positively and forwarded our letter to the chief secretary of the environment department and the municipal commissioner for further action," said Narendra Chugh, president of Jalburadari organisation. "We requested the state govt to prioritise cleaning of the river from its origin rather than focusing on beautification, which could make the city more prone to flooding," Shedbale said.
The activists claimed that birdwatchers have come across over 165 species of birds, including around 22 from scheduled category, around these rivers, and their habitat would be affected if the authorities went ahead with the project. Besides, several trees, transplanted or replanted for the project, would also be affected..
