Pune Cantonment Board Continues Cleanliness Struggle Ranks Poorly in Swachh Survekshan
The Pune Cantonment Board PCB continues to grapple with cleanliness issues, securing a dismal 23rd rank in the latest Swachh Survekshan among sixty cantonments nationwide. This performance reflects a persistent struggle, as the PCB had ranked 26th nationally and last among Maharashtra’s seven cantonments in the previous year’s survey. Smaller cantonments within Maharashtra, including Deolali, Khadki, Aurangabad, and Dehu Road, significantly outperformed the PCB, highlighting its inability to improve its cleanliness standing.
Residents, civic activists, and even army officers have openly expressed their deep disappointment over PCB’s consistently poor showing. They attribute this failure to a lack of concrete action and initiative from the cantonment board over the past year. Activists emphasized that the PCB has significantly underdelivered on essential civic services, citing prevalent issues such as overflowing garbage piles, choked drainage lines, and inadequate trash collection, all contributing to the unfavorable ranking. The board’s perceived disregard for citizen complaints has further fueled frustration among the local populace.
Senior army officers from the Southern Command Headquarters and other defense establishments have held cantonment officials directly responsible for the poor performance. They questioned how such a fundamental civic service could be neglected within the cantonment’s limits, calling it a complete failure of both the Local Military Authority and the PCB. Historically, Pune Cantonment was known for its superior civic services compared to the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC limits, a distinction that has unfortunately eroded over the past decade.
This continuous decline has led some residents to express a strong desire for the cantonment’s merger with the Pune Municipal Corporation, hoping for access to better civic facilities. There are also calls for army authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly, aiming to understand the underlying reasons for the cantonment’s consistent failure in achieving better cleanliness rankings. The PCB’s head of health department did not comment on the findings.
