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After PMC fails, Bavdhan residents use crowdfunding to install reflectors on dividers
According to residents, repeated reminders to the PMC road department fell on deaf ears as the department has a shortage of funds and manpower to complete the work
PUNE As the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) failed to install reflectors on dividers at Shinde Nagar lane 3 and 2 in Bavdhan, residents took matters in their own hands.
Residents raised ₹5,000 through crowdfunding and installed the reflectors as it was causing inconvenience for the people who commute at night.
According to residents, repeated reminders to the PMC road department fell on deaf ears as the department has a shortage of funds and manpower to complete the work.
“The issue was pending for the last four to five weeks and since it was hard to locate the divider without reflectors, we decided to complete the task. When we contacted PMC they told us they don’t have the resources and budget. We followed up on the issue but there was no response,” said Dushyant Bhatia, a member of the Bavdhan Citizen Forum.
Priyanka Bante, junior engineer, PMC road department said, “We were going to install the reflectors in a few days. Along with the dividers on lanes, we have also placed dividers on the accident prone sites in Bavdhan.”
Dividers are placed in two patches – one near the Shinde petrol pump and the other in Shinde Nagar.
“Vehicles coming from Chandni chowk over speed. Recently, an accident took place where the vehicle was damaged. If the reflectors were installed earlier, the accident could be avoided. The PMC only constructed the dividers one month ago and have not even painted it,” added Bhatia.
CS Krishnan, another member of the forum said, “Earlier, there were no dividers and I had discussed the issue with Hinjewadi traffic department. There was a need for dividers as most vehicles would over speed, After taking multiple follow-ups PMC first put plastic barricades and then finally constructed cement dividers last month.”
In February 2022, a 25-year-old girl died in an accident in the same locality
“It was a fatal accident and it happened because the basic infrastructure was missing from the road. Improving traffic management is needed as pedestrians also face problems while walking on the roads,” added Krishnan.
