PCMC Approves Proposal To Plant 40,000 Saplings

PUNE: The standing committee of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on Tuesday approved the controversial proposal to plant 40,000 saplings on Bhandara hill at Dehu village, at a cost of Rs 91.82 lakh.
Prashant Shitole, chairman, standing committee, PCMC said, “A maximum number of medicinal plants will be planted in this drive.”
The controversy was on two counts. The first being whether the PCMC should spend a large amount of money on a project outside the municipal limits and second related to the proposal being tabled before the standing committee after the civic general body had already approved it.
Shitole said, “The contractor will plant the saplings, water them and look after their security for two years, ensuring their survival.”
The standing committee kept the health department’s proposal, regarding hiring of 700 contract labourers for one year to help maintain sanitation and cleanliness at a cost of 3.78 crore, pending.
The proposal has been kept pending for one week and the administration has been directed to give information as to the number of contract labourers needed as per the latest population of the township. Detailed discussions will be held at the next weekly meeting.
Shitole said, “The health department has a shortage of manpower. It has prepared a list of the number of existing health employees and the required number of employees for each ward as per the population figures of 2001 census. The PCMC had received bids from 35 organisations to supply contract labourers.”
He added that the population of the PCMC limits has increased in the past 10 years, so there was a need for more health employees.
He further said that the proposal to purchase 14,172 water meters at the cost of Rs 2.80 crore was approved without any discussion.
“The PCMC has installed more than a lakh water meters in the municipal limits and only a few water more need to be installed,” Shitole stated.
He said that the proposal to get an internet connection from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for the online birth and death certificate system at the cost of Rs 8 lakh per year was also approved.
A short notice resolution to provide loud speaker system to all the day care centres for senior citizens run by senior citizens’ organisations in the municipal limits was also approved.