E-Paper
Ahead of monsoon, dug up roads in Pune pose threat to commuters
Many roads in the city have been dug up for various reasons including laying cables, footpath works, and drainage and water pipeline works
While the monsoon season begins by the first or second week of June every year, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has allowed the digging up of roads this time around. Many roads in the city have been dug up for various reasons including laying cables, footpath works, and drainage and water pipeline works. So much so that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has questioned the PMC about allowing road digging works at this time of the year and demanded that these works should not be allowed.
Typically, the PMC has stopped permitting the digging of roads in the month of June while demanding that all dug-up roads be reinstated by the end of May. Road digging works during the monsoon invite accidents and traffic jams. Keeping the same in mind, the PMC has only allowed essential road digging works during the rainy season.
Municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “It is true that some roads have been dug up and digging works are going on. These are mainly the PMC sewage and water pipeline works. We have instructed all departments to finish the work by June 10 and reinstate the roads.
However, AAP convenor Vijay Kumbhar, said, “Many main roads like Bajirao road, Shivaji road and the internal roads have been dug up. The corporation is aware that road digging is not allowed during the monsoon. When the PMC itself used to warn various agencies against digging roads during the rainy season, how such works are going on?”
“Since the last few years, road digging works are going on throughout the year. Even newly-constructed roads are getting repeatedly dug up which is a waste of taxpayers’ money. If there is an accident during the rainy season due to road digging, AAP will ensure that the concerned contractor and PMC official/s get penalised for the same,” Kumbhar said.
