Pune: Ever imagined that the Fursungi-Devachi Uruli garbage dump would ever feature in a Bollywood movie? Yes, the shooting of ‘Sky Force’ will be done at the garbage depot site, which was till recently in the limelight for pollution, fire incidents and protests by villagers.
The reason for the site being in demand is its transformation accomplished by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the past couple of years. A park has been developed at the space. Many Indian and foreign researchers have started visiting the garden too.
The company managing the shooting of ‘Sky Force’ starring Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali has sought permission from the civic body. Though the actual shooting will take place in February and March, its preparation will start from January 26. The site, where ‘capping’ of the garbage heaps and concretisation has been done, has now been sought after for film shoots.
Open dumping has been halted at the site as per the directions of the court. Most of the area has been land-filled and plantation has been done. Around 10 lakh tonne garbage has been bio-mined and a huge space has been created. The heaps of garbage made through capping technology have been covered with a green cover of trees. A visitor finds it hard to believe that the place was once a garbage dump. Incidents of fire have stopped and the stench has been reduced to a large extent. A portion where garbage is processed is frequently spread with certain solutions, which ward off flies and bad smell.
The spot on the stretch of road from Pisoli to Saswad, where the harmful liquid sipping from the solid waste used to accumulate, has been concretised and a small cricket stadium has been built. The stadium will be turned into a helipad during the shooting of the film. In the remaining space, a military camp will be set up for the film shooting.
Giving details of the film shooting, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Solid Waste Management Department, Sandip Kadam said, “The civic administration has transformed the open garbage dump in a scientific way. Many Indian and foreign administrators, nature lovers and students visit the place to study how it has been turned into a beautiful place. The civic administration is proud about this. We are happy that now interest is being evinced to conduct film shootings here. The civic body will earn revenue through such activities.”
