Wakad, Tathawade residents hold silent march to protest against air pollution

Irked over persistent issue of acute air pollution caused by ready mix concrete (RMC) plants, over 500 residents—predominantly IT professionals—staged a silent protest in the Wakad-Tathawade area on Saturday.

Under the banner of the Wakad-Tathawade Housing Societies Forum, residents from more than 22 housing societies marched peacefully, demanding urgent action against the deteriorating air quality. They have been forced to run from pillar to post with no solution for the past two years, they allege.

The march began at Kohinoor Courtyard One Society, passed through Indira School, and concluded at Wakadkar Chowk.

As per the citizens, on the one-kilometer-long stretch of Shani Mandir Road connecting the Bengaluru -Mumbai Highway, more than 35 housing societies are located with over 15k people. All these societies are located in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) area and just next to them, Marunji starts, which comes under the PMRDA limits. There are as many as 10 cement ready mix plants, and five of them are located in close vicinity of these housing societies, creating massive air pollution, they claim.

Amol Jadhav, a resident of Kohinoor Courtyard Society, said, “Despite repeated complaints, authorities continue to pass the buck. The PCMC blames the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the MPCB directs us to PMRDA, and PMRDA tells us to contact PCMC. This endless cycle has left us with no solution.”

Another IT professional living in one of the societies on request of anonymity, said, this running from pillar to post has been going on for the past two years with no solution. “We have met all the local bodies and authorities but none of them is ready to solve this problem. After we declared the silent march, the MPCB started the temporary preventive measures. However, the AQI in this area recorded on Saturday was still 310, which is hazardous,” he said.

As per the residents, the cement dust and heavy vehicles on the roads have significantly deteriorated air quality, leading to respiratory illnesses. This has led to a surge in cases of asthma, allergies, and respiratory diseases, especially among children, senior citizens, and pregnant women.

Despite multiple complaints to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), PMRDA, and local representatives, no concrete action has been taken.

It is common to see a thick layer of cement dust settle on roads, vehicles, and homes, affecting the overall quality of their life, they said.

Despite repeated attempts PCMC officials were unavailable for comment.