Pune’s population growth and rapid urbanisation over the past few decades has predictably led to increased pressure on basic services.
Consequently, the city has seen several social, economic and environmental imbalances that need to be checked.
In stark contrast to several other cities, Pune did introduce checks and balances with respect to work on waste management and public transport. While this process is far from complete, the work does seem to have yielded positive results, albeit limited.
World Resource Institute, a global research organization in a case study of the World Resources Report (WRR), “Towards a More Equal City” explained the conditions that led Pune to come up with innovative approaches to handle the rapid increase in population effectively and the shortcomings that slowed them.
The study titled, “Pune: Civil Society Coalitions, Policy Contradictions, and Unsteady Transformation” by Lalitha Kamath, Himanshu Burte, Avinash Madhale and Robin King highlights the “positive, qualitative impact on sustainability and service provision in Pune, particularly in its solid waste and transport sectors between the 1990s and the present.”
However, the WRR also concluded that while Pune is on a path of transformation, It lacks durability
The goal of the WRR is to inform urban change agents—government officials, policymakers, CSOs and citizens, and the private sector—about how transformative change happens, the various forms it takes, and how they can support transformation towards more equal cities, the report read.
The study mapped three phases encompassing the period from 1992 to 2014 and beyond.
- The first phase, from 1992 to 2004, saw greater power allocated to Indian cities by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA), along with a broader movement towards decentralization and economic liberalization.
- The second phase, from 2005 to 2013, was dominated by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) that provided funds for infrastructure and basic services to the poor in exchange for urban governance reforms that promoted expanded roles for both CSOs and private firms, strengthening a technocratic approach that marginalized elected politicians.
- The third phase began in 2014 with the launch of the Smart Cities Mission.
Speaking to Pune365, Sujit Patwardhan, Founder member and Trustee of Parisar, a civil society organization who was also involved in the research process says, “We have given our views to them about various aspects including BRT since we were one of the groups which recommended BRT in Pune.
Broadly, what they are saying I agree with, because Pune in a way is much more positive in having adopted some of the practice of sustainable transport like pedestrian and parking policy, a comprehensive mobility plan which many other cities do not have.
“However, the flip side of this is whether these things are being implemented according to what we are calling good reports and where we are falling short.
The city at a certain level is beginning to accept that unless there is sustainable transport, we are not going to make much progress in terms of traffic. At the city administrative level, some good initiatives have definitely been taken but with the shift in power with each election, the quantum of implementation of these initiatives were lost.
Even after launching such initiatives, many other major aspects must be taken care of which becomes a bit complicated and people then in power gives up half way through and this is never carried forward. Our citizens aren’t concerned and are still talking about their personal needs.
The understanding that building flyovers for personal vehicles is not what is important and improving the public transport is the need of the hour, has not been understood and absorbed by the citizens at large…
The ‘know how’ of sustainable transport among the corporators, authorities and the people is unfortunately low and awareness must be created,” adds Patwardhan.
The report summarised remaking, “Solid waste management centered around creatively integrating waste pickers into the city’s solid waste management systems. Sustainable solid waste management was introduced under enabling state and national policies, but has declined with corporatization and the sector’s newfound profitability.”
Waste pickers organized to form a union in 1993 and were incorporated into formal municipal solid waste management (MSWM) service provision systems with the support of the civil society organizations coalition Waste Matters, winning identity cards and benefits.
Spurred on by a state government deadline to achieve door-to-door waste collection, in 2008 the PMC launched a partnership with Solid Waste Collection and Handling (SWaCH), India’s first fully self-owned waste-pickers cooperative.
Sharing her thoughts, Laxmi Narayan, Founder of KKPKP and SWaCH says that although there has been some work done in Pune compared to other cities, we still have a long way to go.
“Decentralized waste management is definitely practiced here more than any other places. Efforts are made to ensure that more waste is processed either close to the household, like composting or in the ward itself, in bio-gas plants.
“We have a ‘door to door’ collection system that ensures that the waste pickers go to the households and segregate the dry and the wet waste, which automatically ensures higher and efficient level of segregation and further recycling. The system used here are user free, decentralized and includes the informal sector.
“However, there is no uniformity in the policies that are made. Even though the system can be customized according to the requirement of the people, it has to be fair in principle to everyone.
Everyone should we expected to segregate, pay a user free, compost their waste as closer to the point of generation, otherwise it becomes unfair on the part of others. The municipality should enforce it more consistently across the city.
“Also, the municipality must invest in infrastructure so that composting can happen in a more decentralized manner,” Laxmi Narayan adds.
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Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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