As garbage piles up in public places across the city and the Pune civic body struggles to keep the city clean, The Indian Express spoke to Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajit Nair on the reasons behind the situation and the civic efforts to resolve it.Q- Most public places in the city are unclean and garbage is dumped across the city. Why is this happening?A- It’s a fact that public places, mainly those alongside civic roads, are witnessing garbage piling up. If there is drainage leakage, the water evaporates, but the garbage cannot go away on its own unless it is picked up. The garbage must be picked up, which requires sufficient manpower. The civic body has not increased its cleanliness staff in the last ten years, despite the civic area increasing tremendously after the inclusion of 34 villages.Q- How is the PMC going to tackle the issue of garbage piling up in public places?A- We are terribly understaffed and short of resources to process solid waste. Thus, we are working on both fronts to tackle the issue efficiently. The present manpower was catering to 2,300 km of road cleaning, but in reality, the city has a total road length of 6,919 km. To keep the city clean, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has now decided to hire more contractual staff to fill the gap.Q- The PMC already spends huge amounts of money on contractual staff. How will increasing the staff resolve the issue?A- We are adopting a new strategy for road cleaning. Earlier, we used to hire contractors to provide manpower for cleanliness, but now the strategy is that the contractor will be responsible for keeping the road clean, not merely providing manpower. The contractor will have to appoint cleanliness staff for every 700 metres of road. If the PMC finds negligence of duty by the contractor, the contract will be terminated. This will ensure that contractors keep the roads clean. The same model is being implemented in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.Story continues below this adQ- What about proper processing of waste, considering the generation of garbage is increasing in the city due to rapid urbanisation?A- A total of 2,700 metric tonnes of waste is generated in the city every day. This has increased after the inclusion of new villages in the PMC limits. Of the total waste generated, 1,000 metric tonnes is wet waste, while 1,700 metric tonnes is dry waste. Garbage processing is much lower compared to the waste being generated. The processing capacity is high on paper, but in reality, most processing plants have not delivered the desired results and have underperformed, although some plants have performed above capacity. The PMC has decided to make the underperforming plants improve and meet their targets.Q- When can we expect to see a visible change in the city’s cleanliness situation?A- The decision to increase manpower with a new strategy for cleaning roads will begin from August 1, and I am confident that there will be a change in the situation from August 15 onwards. This will be visible, and the change will be positive. On the processing front, increasing capacity requires machines, funds and manpower. The issue will be resolved by the end of September.Story continues below this adQ- As per rules, large housing societies have to process wet garbage at source, but it has been noticed that most societies do not do it. What is being done to remedy this?A- Bulk waste generators, mainly housing societies, must process wet waste at source. There are many big societies that are bulk generators of waste and are old. If they are forced to manage their waste, they hire a private agency, which then deposits the waste into the PMC system.Q- Are there any plans to improve civic sense among citizens and prevent littering in public places?A- The PMC will have to improve its performance in waste management first before expecting anything from citizens. I believe that once the civic body starts keeping the city clean, citizens will also join us and ensure they do not dump waste in the open. It is a human tendency that if there is garbage dumping in the open, people also put their waste in the same place. But if the area is kept clean, they will also ensure that it remains clean. So things will change once we improve, and it will happen soon.Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. Professional Background Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens. Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College. Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts. Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom: 1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026) "Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections. "Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections. "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls. 2. Infrastructure & Urban Development "Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026. "Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi. "Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors. 3. Civic Governance & Environment "Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time. "Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections. Signature Style Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact. X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories