Irrigation dept urges civic bodies to exercise caution while carrying out riverfront development works

Time of India

08-05-2025

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Pune: The
irrigation department
has written to both
PMC
and
PCMC
, urging them to exercise caution while carrying out riverfront development project (RFD) works to ensure that the cross-section of the river was not reduced and the conditions mentioned in the no objection certificate (NOC) granted for the project were strictly followed.
In his letter, H V Gunale, chief engineer of the irrigation department, said that they received multiple complaints from residents and NGOs regarding the ongoing RFD work in areas such as Wakad,
Vishalnagar
,
Pimple Nilakh
, Kaspate Wasti, Bund Garden, Holkar Bridge, and other areas. He said debris was dumped on the riverbed at several sites, and activities such as digging and road construction were also observed.The irrigation officials further said that the civic bodies were granted NOC on the condition that they would undertake caution while doing the work to ensure that the river's carrying capacity was not reduced.However, in the case of RFD project at Pimple Nilakh, PMC is carrying out work on one bank of the river while PCMC is doing it on the other side.
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"Such works must be coordinated and executed by a single agency to ensure that the cross-section was not affected and the river's carrying capacity maintained. Failure to do so can lead to flooding and affect the designated flood lines," he said.The civic bodies were also expected to carry out the work scientifically to ensure minimum damage to the environment and the natural cross-section of the river. Gunale said that the irrigation department's responsibility was to ensure that the flow of water bodies like rivers, canals or nullahs was not obstructed in urban areas.Earlier, on April 22, the executive engineer of the irrigation department, in a letter to the PCMC, asked them to immediately remove the debris dumped in Mula river at Pimple Nilakh. The executive engineer, in his letter, warned that failure to do so would invite action under the Maharashtra Irrigation Act, 1976.Sanjay Kulkarni, the city engineer and head of the PCMC's environment department, said that a cofferdam, a temporary enclosure built in water to create a dry working area, was built inside the river while carrying out the work, which caused the dumping. However, he assured that these structures would be removed before the onset of the monsoon. "In the RFD project design, we have ensured that the river's cross-section will not be affected," he said.The environment activists have already raised objections against RFD, claiming that the project would reduce the riverbed by around 38%. Prashant Raul of Green Army said that the irrigation officials have highlighted several serious violations in the project, and these were based on the observations from almost all the sites where works related to the RFD project are underway. "The municipal bodies were not following the conditions mentioned in the NOC granted by any agency, as the forest and wildlife department had earlier issued them notices for the same project," he said.Pune: The irrigation department has written to both PMC and PCMC, urging them to exercise caution while carrying out riverfront development project (RFD) works to ensure that the cross-section of the river was not reduced and the conditions mentioned in the no objection certificate (NOC) granted for the project were strictly followed. In his letter, H V Gunale, chief engineer of the irrigation department, said that they received multiple complaints from residents and NGOs regarding the ongoing RFD work in areas such as Wakad, Vishalnagar, Pimple Nilakh, Kaspate Wasti, Bund Garden, Holkar Bridge, and other areas. He said debris was dumped on the riverbed at several sites, and activities such as digging and road construction were also observed.The irrigation officials further said that the civic bodies were granted NOC on the condition that they would undertake caution while doing the work to ensure that the river's carrying capacity was not reduced.However, in the case of RFD project at Pimple Nilakh, PMC is carrying out work on one bank of the river while PCMC is doing it on the other side. "Such works must be coordinated and executed by a single agency to ensure that the cross-section was not affected and the river's carrying capacity maintained. Failure to do so can lead to flooding and affect the designated flood lines," he said.The civic bodies were also expected to carry out the work scientifically to ensure minimum damage to the environment and the natural cross-section of the river. Gunale said that the irrigation department's responsibility was to ensure that the flow of water bodies like rivers, canals or nullahs was not obstructed in urban areas.Earlier, on April 22, the executive engineer of the irrigation department, in a letter to the PCMC, asked them to immediately remove the debris dumped in Mula river at Pimple Nilakh. The executive engineer, in his letter, warned that failure to do so would invite action under the Maharashtra Irrigation Act, 1976.Sanjay Kulkarni, the city engineer and head of the PCMC's environment department, said that a cofferdam, a temporary enclosure built in water to create a dry working area, was built inside the river while carrying out the work, which caused the dumping. However, he assured that these structures would be removed before the onset of the monsoon. "In the RFD project design, we have ensured that the river's cross-section will not be affected," he said.The environment activists have already raised objections against RFD, claiming that the project would reduce the riverbed by around 38%. Prashant Raul of Green Army said that the irrigation officials have highlighted several serious violations in the project, and these were based on the observations from almost all the sites where works related to the RFD project are underway. "The municipal bodies were not following the conditions mentioned in the NOC granted by any agency, as the forest and wildlife department had earlier issued them notices for the same project," he said.