Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao has announced plans to alleviate waste-related issues in the Wagle Estate CP Tank area. The initiative comes in response to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s allocation of land in Atkoli, Bhiwandi, for a new landfill, aimed at addressing the city's waste management challenges. Commissioner Rao has directed an enhancement in both manpower and vehicles at the CP Tank transfer center to accelerate waste removal efforts.
Key points from Commissioner Rao's recent inspection and orders:
- Increased Resources: Additional manpower and vehicles will be deployed at CP Tank to accelerate waste removal.
- Continuous Operation: The waste removal process will continue until all accumulated waste is cleared from the transfer center.
- Health Precautions: Large-scale pesticide spraying is being carried out to prevent foul odors and mosquito breeding, providing temporary relief to nearby residents.
- Monitoring: Commissioner Rao personally inspected the site on Monday evening, accompanied by Deputy Commissioners Manish Joshi and Shankar Patole, and Medical Officer Dr. Rani Shinde.
- Community Feedback: Local residents met with Commissioner Rao during his visit and expressed satisfaction that the waste removal process has begun.
- Operational Changes: From August 20, CP Tank will function solely as a waste transfer center, with no waste storage allowed on-site.
- Traffic Management: Officials have been instructed to ensure that garbage vehicle movements do not cause traffic congestion or inconvenience to residents.
Commissioner Rao stated, "We are committed to providing relief to the citizens of the Wagle Estate area. These immediate actions will help address the current situation, while we continue to work on long-term solutions for Thane's waste management."
Social activist Rameshwar Bachate highlighted the longstanding demand for a new waste disposal site, emphasizing that residents from areas such as Jaybhim Nagar, C.P. Talav, Sathenagar, Hanuman Nagar, Shriram Nagar, and Lodha Grandezza Society, as well as workers and residents of MIDC companies, have been enduring an unbearable stench, a surge in mosquitoes, and diseases like TB and malaria due to the massive buildup of garbage. Bachate stated that the site was being used as a dumping ground instead of for solid waste management. The activist also noted that traffic jams on Road No. 33 and near Wagle Depot, caused by garbage trucks and buses, have severely hindered the movement of school children, the elderly, and ambulances. However, residents have welcomed the announcement of a new disposal site, as the waste influx and stench at CP Tank have severely increased.
The state government has now transferred land in Atkoli to the TMC for scientific waste disposal. The corporation has taken possession of this land, and its boundaries have been demarcated. An integrated project is being set up on this site for solid waste disposal, which will be managed using scientific methods. This will reduce the burden on the CP Tank premises, which will then only be used for transferring city waste.