Pune garbage vehicle death triggers safety crackdown; 34 vehicles fined

A five-year-old girl's death after being run over by a garbage vehicle in Nigdi has exposed safety gaps in Pimpri-Chinchwad's waste collection system. An inspection by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Office over two months found 34 garbage vehicles violating rules, resulting in ₹1.40 lakh in fines.

Violations included expired fitness certificates, improper number plates, incomplete documents, and unsafe waste handling. Around 520 garbage vehicles operate daily from 28 collection centres in the civic area. The RTO's enforcement drive revealed that fitness certification compliance was inadequate among waste transport vehicles. Deputy RTO Rahul Jadhav stated strict action would continue against non-compliant vehicles, with owners instructed to renew fitness certificates immediately.