The College of Military Engineering (CME), Bombay Engineers Group (BEG) and KCB had come together to tackle the hyacinth problem from the Mula river at Harris bridge, near Dapodi. However, the first attempt to tackle the issue had to be abandoned simply because they quarrelled over the portions to be cleaned.

BEG had then accused the KCB officials of remaining apathetic over the issue. Caught in the crossfire are hundreds of residents along the river banks who have to face the mosquito menace due to the alarming increase of the water hyacinth. People residing along the main river banks at Bopodi, Dapodi, Mula Road, Aundh, Boat Club Road, Private Road, Tadiwala Road, Koregaon Park and Yerawada are the worst hit as they patiently wait for their respective civic bodies to clear up the hyacinth.

The PMC however is faced with a piquant situation as the KCB has not let up on cutting up portions of the hyacinth to lessen their workload. Admits Ajay Kumar, Chief Executive Officer,KCB had an informal understanding with the PMC for sending manual labour for tackling the problem.

"However, looking at the magnitude of the problem, at least 100 people should have been despatched from the PMC. Very few people actually turned up," he said.

"There is no other way out. The hyacinth is coming from PCMC and the PMC wants to block the whole hyacinth in KCB. Why should we suffer. It's not a question of our area or their area. What else can we do except for cutting it and pushing it downstream. Now we will hold talks with the PMC officials next week and sort out the issue."

When contacted Additional Municipal Commissioner Deepak Kapoor said a meeting of the officials from CME, KCB and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) was held on March 11 to sort out the issue. The Pune Municipal Transport has also helped in the operation by providing 12,000 litres of waste oil to be sprayed on major water bodies to destroy the breeding ground for mosquitoes.

A special squad of civic sanitation department employees headed by assistant health officer Dr R R Pardeshi has been formed to undertake fogging operations to curb the menace in the city.