Sahakarnar citizens forum calls for action against stray dogs

PUNE: Residents of Sahakarnagar have asked PMC to address various issues that local population is facing

PUNE: Residents of Sahakarnagar have asked PMC to address various issues that local population is facing. During its first ward sabha held on Saturday, Sahakar nagar citizens’ forum (SCF) asked Pune Municipal Corporation to address the menace of stray dogs and start shuttle bus service between Sahakarnagar and Swargate.

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Following the ward Sabha, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) started the bus service on Tuesday while Mayor Murlidhar Mohol, who also attended the meeting said the civic body will look into other demands.

More than 200 members/residents signed-up on-the-spot to discuss and present their issues to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials. Besides Mayor, ward officer Pradnya Potdar; divisional commissioner Jayant Bhosekar; elected corporators Aba Bagul, Ashwini Kadam and Mahesh Sable; and nominated member Subhash Jagtap were also present.

“Almost all bus routes from Sahakar nagar have been terminated over the past few years citing losses but citizens demanded better public transport connectivity and during the ward sabha, PMPML traffic manager Zende and PMPML director – the mayor himself, took a spot decision to start a shuttle service from Sahakar nagar to Swargate,” said Amit Abhyangkar of SCF.

“From some documents that SCF procured through the right to information (RTI), we realised that three tenders had been awarded and work completed on the jogging track using paver blocks at Tulshibagwale colony ground. However, we did not find any such track on the ground,” Abhyangkar said.

On the issue of stray dogs where there have been an increasing number of clashes between dog lovers and citizens afraid of canines. “We filed an RTI and found out that a person has been awarded a contract for neutering dogs. But while the tender is for neutering 1,000 dogs per month, only 992 dogs have been neutered over the past 18 months. Also, the contractor is not following tender norms. When this discussion came up, a health department official who was present at the sabha assured that the contract terms will be enforced,” Abhyangkar informed.

Mayor Mohol tweeted about the success of the ward sabha and urged others to follow in the footsteps of SCF to facilitate direct interaction between residents and authorities.