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Medha Kulkarni flags issues in riverfront project in Pune, warns of ecological impact

Jan 24, 2025 08:54 AM IST

Medha has flagged errors in the detailed project report (DPR) and highlighted ecological issues such as shrinking riverbeds, debris dumping, and tree cutting. She has also lodged a complaint with Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Medha Kulkarni has raised concerns over Pune’s 44-km-long Mula-Mutha riverfront development project, a move seen as her defiance over the party line.

The senior BJP leader, accompanied by Pune municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale, environment department head Sanjay Shinde, environment officer Mangesh Dighe, project consultant team members, and Pune River Revival activists, including Shailaja Deshpande and Prajakta Mahajan, visited the riverfront project site Thursday morning. (HT PHOTO)
The senior BJP leader, accompanied by Pune municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale, environment department head Sanjay Shinde, environment officer Mangesh Dighe, project consultant team members, and Pune River Revival activists, including Shailaja Deshpande and Prajakta Mahajan, visited the riverfront project site Thursday morning. (HT PHOTO)

Medha has flagged errors in the detailed project report (DPR) and highlighted ecological issues such as shrinking riverbeds, debris dumping, and tree cutting. She has also lodged a complaint with Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil.

The senior BJP leader, accompanied by Pune municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale, environment department head Sanjay Shinde, environment officer Mangesh Dighe, project consultant team members, and Pune River Revival activists, including Shailaja Deshpande and Prajakta Mahajan, visited the riverfront project site Thursday morning.

The riverfront project is a flagship initiative of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) that was controlled by the BJP between 2017 and 2022 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing its groundbreaking ceremony in March 2022. After PMC’s approval to the project, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation too decided to implement it in its jurisdiction along the riverbed.

However, the 4,700-crore project has drawn criticism from environmentalists, citizens, and Opposition parties, including NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, and former MP Vandana Chavan, who have demanded greater public consultation on the project.

Even before the project began, citizens and environmental activists organised rallies on JM Road opposing the proposed tree cutting. Despite these protests, PMC secured a favourable ruling from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and initiated the work.

During the site visit, Medha alleged that Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations have dumped 300 truckloads of debris in Ram and Mula rivers at Aundh with the illegal activity continuing in PCMC area. She urged authorities to widen the riverbed instead of shrinking it and to avoid cutting old trees.

“I will arrange a meeting with divisional commissioner Mahesh Pulkundwarkar, Pune civic chief Bhosale and his Pimpri-Chinchwad counterpart Shekhar Singh, and citizens to address the issues related to the project,” she said, adding that altering the river’s natural course and dumping debris could lead to flood-like situations in the city.

“Beautifying the river is important, but artificial hurdles are destroying the ecology,” she said urging the administration to halt work in areas where construction has not yet begun.

Bhosale said, “We will accommodate constructive suggestions from citizens and elected representatives. The administration will take appropriate decisions accordingly.”

Sushma Date, environmentalist and member of Deccan Gymkhana Parisar Samiti, welcomed the stand taken by Kulkarni.

“It is heartening when political leaders stand with citizens on environmental and civic issues. The MP visited the Ram Nadi stretch of the disastrous Pune Riverfront Development project,” she said.

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