Pune: Once held up as a flagship ‘Smart City’ zone, Baner-Balewadi now appears to be anything but smart, hosting streets littered with unattended garbage, erratic waste pickups and the acrid smoke of trash going up in flames. Add battered roads and an on-again, off-again water supply, and residents’ patience is wearing thin.Baner-Balewadi was identified as a key area-based development site in Pune under the Centre’s Smart Cities Mission launched in June 2015, which promised upgraded urban infrastructure through complete streets, smart traffic management and better public spaces.The area’s residents said those promises have given way to daily frustration, with even basic civic services failing. They alleged Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not acted firmly against illegal waste dumping. “This has left vast stretches of internal roads littered with trash, while areas along the Ramnadi have turned into informal dumping grounds, strewn with plastic and household waste,” a Baner resident said, choosing anonymity.The residents say despite repeated complaints during mohalla committee meetings and on the civic administration’s social platforms, there has been no visible improvement. “The biggest problem is the lack of consistency. Garbage is cleared sporadically, and that only encourages illegal dumping. PMC must impose strict, on-the-spot fines. Flying squads should be visiting chronic dumping spots daily. That’s the only way to stop this menace,” Baner Road resident Vijay Shinde said.Despite being part of the Smart City Mission for nearly a decade alongside Aundh, Baner-Balewadi — one of Pune’s fastest-growing localities — still leaves residents feeling that waste management efforts continue to fall short.Anup Joshi, another Baner Road resident, pointed out that new garbage dumping spots tend to surface every few months. “The gaothan areas of Baner and Balewadi are suffering the most. Garbage burning has become routine here, which is alarming and dangerous,” he said.City-based civic activist Kalyani Tokekar echoed similar concerns, calling out the administration’s inconsistent approach. “PMC staff responded promptly only after I personally contacted them. The system shouldn’t wait for residents to intervene. Regular checks at chronic dumping spots, especially along the Ramnadi, should happen automatically,” Tokekar said.Sarang Wabale, another area resident, said unattended garbage often ends up being set ablaze. “If the civic administration improves garbage collection and lifting, instances of trash burning will come down drastically,” he says, adding that housing societies continue to suffer due to irregular waste pickups and that better monitoring and additional manpower are the need of the hour.Mounting complaints recently forced the issue into official focus. A meeting was held at the PMC’s Aundh-Baner ward office, attended by elected representatives. Local corporator Amol Balwadkar acknowledged serious lapses, particularly in clearing garbage from open spaces and gaothan areas.“Unattended garbage and waste burning causing pollution were the key issues discussed. These directly impact citizens’ health, and the administration must address them on priority,” Balwadkar said.Following residents’ complaints, garbage was cleared from two spots in the first week of April — Sai Chowk and the service road near the Balewadi Sports Complex — both long plagued by illegal dumping. Trash was also cleared along a stretch of Ramnadi around the same time.Responding to the concerns, Avinash Sapkal, head of PMC’s solid waste management department, said corrective measures have been initiated. “Ward staff has been instructed to act immediately. We are increasing vigilance to prevent illegal dumping and burning of garbage. Plans are underway to deploy more vehicles in the Aundh-Baner ward,” Sapkal said, appealing for citizens’ cooperation.Vijay Naykal, head of the Aundh-Baner ward office, says monitoring squads had been directed to maintain constant vigilance. “Garbage will be lifted regularly from chronic dumping spots,” he added.For now, the residents of Baner-Balewadi remain unconvinced, waiting for the ‘smart’ in their area to finally mean clean, consistent and accountable civic services.
