Pune, 14 June 2025: Due to rising garbage piles in public spaces, administrative chaos, and low citizen involvement, Pune’s cleanliness situation is deteriorating rapidly. Recognizing this, newly appointed Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has declared that his first mission will be to restore the city’s hygiene standards through a dedicated ‘Clean Pune Campaign’, inspired by the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
To ensure maximum impact, social organizations, NGOs, and citizens will be actively involved. Administrative reforms are also on the agenda to address the lapses that have led to the current mess.
The Municipal Corporation convened a meeting with various NGOs yesterday to boost public engagement and sustain cleanliness efforts. The meeting was attended by Additional Commissioner M.J. Pradeep Chandran, Prithviraj B.P., Solid Waste Management Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kadam, and representatives from the Rotary Club, Ecoexist, Swachh Pune Seva Sahakari Sanstha, Pune Retail Association, Traders’ Association, Maratha Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Pratishthan, NSCC, Yardi, Punaravartan, CREDAI, Jewelers Association, and Lodha Food Product Dealers, among others.
Despite repeated directives from the Municipal Corporation headquarters, field-level implementation has been severely lacking. Local officers like Circle Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, and health inspectors have been blamed for negligence and lack of supervision, leading to an increase in visible waste and citizen complaints.
Commissioner Ram’s new initiative aims to revitalize waste management, ensure strict accountability, and motivate residents to participate actively.
Key discussion points at today’s meeting included achieving 100% waste segregation, promoting home composting, enhancing bulk waste processing, raising settlement-level awareness, involving students, ensuring visible cleanliness, and encouraging societies to adopt zero-waste models.
Addressing the media, Commissioner Ram said, “Heaps of garbage are constantly visible in the city. This cannot continue. Within a month, we will launch a structured Clean Pune Campaign with citizens’ support. Administrative loopholes will be fixed, and lapses will be brought under control.”
Experts stress that while citizen participation is crucial, the real test will be ensuring that ground-level officers execute their duties diligently and that supervisory mechanisms function without corruption or negligence. Only then can Pune hope to become a cleaner, healthier city.