‘River is our superstar’: Hundreds gather at Baner to protest Pune RFD project

Actor-activist Sayaji Shinde participated in ‘Chipko’ Movement to save trees at Ram-Mula Confluence in Baner on Sunday. Pune River Revival- a citizen’s movement to save trees and rivers of the city. (Express Photo By Pavan Khengre)

Another important figure was Sonam Wangchuk, a climate activist from Ladakh, who had fasted to draw attention to the environmental fragility of Ladakh in 2024. “I am here to thank the people of Pune. They care about the rivers and trees. They also raised their voices when I was protesting for Ladakh. I have come here to support them and to draw inspiration from their effort to protect the rivers,” said Wangchuk. At the end of the march, he would tell the crowd that as India was a democratic country, the people had voted with their feet today by marching. “You have voted for clean air, the river and trees,” he said to applause.

Volunteers distributed postcards on which the public wrote messages to the Prime Minister. (Express Image by Pavan Khengre)

Another eminent face was former mayor and MP Vandana Chavan, “It is evident that there’s going to be flooding when rainfall or excess water comes in. We have seen this happen in this area before, in 2019, when water had got into Jupiter Hospital and many bungalows and buildings. People had to be evacuated by boat. We have written and spoken to many decision makers. They were busy with elections but now they have to take some steps. They must come down and see what is happening and stop the work,” said Chavan.

Renowned environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk said the people of Pune care about the rivers and trees. (Express Image by Pavan Khengre)

As the marchers converged on the dry riverbed, they saw the work going on on the PCMC side and heard volunteers explaining the plans by the PMC. People hugged the trees that had been marked by the PMC for possible cutting. Parents took photos as their children spread their arms and embraced the told trees. Volunteers distributed postcards on which the public wrote messages to the Prime Minister. Bharti Fernandes, who lives in Baner, wrote, “Please ardently beg you to save the Pune rivers”.

A student wrote a long letter asking Narendra Modi to spare a thought for the future generations who would suffer if trees were felled and rivers shrunk. A father, Nitin Vivrekar carried his five-year-old daughter on his shoulders and marched “to make her aware how important it is to save trees and the river”.