India, May 4 -- The state irrigation department has directed the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to remove the debris illegally dumped in Mula River under its jurisdiction. The waste disposal has obstructed the water body's natural path, said officials.

The notice issued on March 22 to the civic body stated rampant illegal dumping of debris and rubble near Pimple Nilakh crematorium.

Sanjay Kulkarni, city engineer and head of environmental department, PCMC, said, "In our reply to the notice, we stated that debris and rubble were dumped to create a temporary diversion of the riverfront development (RFD) work in progress along the river. However, orders have been issued to immediately remove the waste."

"This is a serious of...