Activists say civic body violating HC order as well as heritage rules
Activists say civic body violating HC order as well as heritage rules
Having jogging tracks in 75 gardens across the city does not seem to satisfy the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Already two of these tracks are located near the Mutha river, and now the civic body has gone ahead and laid a new jogging track near the riverbed, which environmentalists charge is a violation of a high court order. According to environmentalists from the city and some local residents, the civic body has flouted the Bombay High Court order which states that no construction is allowed near rivers in the city. 
Offending construction: The jogging track that the PMC is laying
near the Baba Bhide causeway. Pic/Vivek Sabnis
Three years ago Vijay Paranjpe, a senior environmentalist, had approached the Bombay High Court to stop the construction of a road near the Mutha riverbed. Now, activists working for the improvement of the river and city nullahs have questioned the construction of a jogging track near the Baba Bhide causeway. "We should let the river flow. The PMC should not allow any kind of construction by obstructing that flow," Paranjpe said.
Heritage protection
Referring to the Bombay High Court order over the issue of Dev Nadi where residents of Baner had approached the high court and had got an order on May 7 stating that no construction should be done on any riverbed,
city activists Vaibhav Gandhi and Vinod Jain alleged that the civic body was not only violating the court order and basic environmental norms, but also flouting heritage rules. "All the rivers, including the Mutha river, come under heritage protection and the PMC had included this in its official heritage list.
The civic body is blatantly violating the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1960," Jain said. Govind Rane, a resident of Narayan Peth, posed the question of the sustainability of the jogging track, especially in the monsoon floods. "It is sheer waste of citizens' money. The PMC should also first take the permission of Archaeological Society of India and the District Collector's NOC," he said.
The Other Side
Refuting all charges, Bhanudas Mane, PMC Deputy Commissioner (Garden), said: "Neither does this jogging track does not come at the Mutha riverbed, nor does it cause any pollution or environmental degradation to the river. Where will the residents from Shaniwar, Narayan and Sadhashiv peths go for jogging? Labelling a river a heritage site is quite absurd. If we allow the construction of a causeway or bridge and the damming of rivers, then why not a jogging track near the river? This is not a permanent structure as we can remove it whenever required."
Mutha river messed up: Jairam Ramesh
Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, who was in the city on June 24, 2010, had written a letter to the then chief minister Ashok Chavan appealing to him that they should collaborate to restore the Mutha. In his letter, a copy of which is with MiD DAY, Jairam had written: "I am shocked to see the deteriorating water quality and ecological health of Mutha river. My ministry is preparing to extend support if a proposal is submitted by the state government."
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