Pune: Students and Volunteers Join Hands with PMC to Remove 50 Tons of Hazardous Waste from Katraj Ghat
Pune, June 22, 2026: The pristine forest of Katraj Ghat had no longer remained pristine by any benchmark. Years of neglect and illegal dumping resulted in the forest being crushed under large quantities of plastic, medical waste, and other solid waste.
Although the site was 3 km outside Pune Municipal Corporation limit, yet, PMC personnel from Dhankawadi-Katraj-Ambegaon Zonal Office along volunteers and brand ambassador of Swachh Sarvekshan Campaign, Vikrant Singh carried out a special cleanliness drive at Katraj Ghat on June 20, 2026, and June 21, 2026.
On June 20, 2026, in the forest area around Katraj Ghat, waste accumulated along the roadside was removed with the help of mechanical equipment, and the area was cleaned.
Subsequently, on June 21, 2026, around 350 students, volunteers, along with PMC Assistant Commissioner Surekha Bhanghe, Senior Health Inspector Vikram Kathwate, Santosh Bhaik, all Sanitation Inspectors (SI), and 220 cleaning workers participated in removing waste, debris, plastic bottles, and other solid waste from the Katraj Ghat area. In this campaign, approximately 50 to 55 metric tons of waste was collected.
During this cleanliness campaign senior PMC officials and elected representatives were present who appealed to citizens not to litter the area. Additionally, instructions were given to forest department officers to exercise necessary caution in the future.
In this campaign, Sanitation Brand Ambassador Avinash Minse and Rupali Magar, Rahul Sawant from the Doctors Association, as well as officers and employees from the zonal office were present full-time.
Importantly, although this campaign was conducted in the forest area outside the municipal limits, the Pune Municipal Corporation administration took the initiative with the thought that environmental conservation and preservation of natural resources is a collective responsibility. This extensive “Deep Clean Drive” undertaken to keep this forest area adjacent to the city clean, safe, and beautiful has set a new example for cleanliness and environmental conservation.
