As polls loom, locals ask politicos to solve long- pending civic issues in Kasba Peth

With the assembly elections just around the corner, Kasba Peth residents have highlighted issues like traffic, irregular water supply, poor public transport, pothole-ridden roads, and old wadas in the vicinity

PUNE With the assembly elections just around the corner, locals in Kasba Peth have highlighted various civic issues like traffic, irregular water supply issues, poor public transport, pothole-ridden roads, and old wadas-related issues in the vicinity.

Old Wada at Kasba Peth, With the assembly elections just around the corner, residents have highlighted issues like traffic, irregular water supply, poor public transport, pothole-ridden roads, and old wadas in the vicinity. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

Sagar Chintal, a local, said, “I stay in Shukrawar Peth, and the area is surrounded by Mandai Market, Laxmi Road, Bajirao Road, Raviwar Peth market and throughout the year there is a heavy rush of people and tourists here. At the same time, there is no proper traffic management here due to which every day commuters have to face traffic congestion.”

Another resident Pratik Jog, who resides in Kasba Peth, said, “We live in a 70-year-old wada which is in a poor state, and we are risking our lives by staying in such structures. Also, there are several such wadas which are in poor conditions and need to be redeveloped.”

Kasba constituency is one of the oldest constituencies in the state and it is dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Earlier late BJP leader Girish Bapat was three times MLA from here, then in 2019, Mukta Tilak won the seat. As she died in 2022, by-polls were held in the Kasba constituency on February 26, 2022. While in a straight fight between BJP’s Hemant Rasane and Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) candidate Ravindra Dhangekar, the MVA supported Dhangekar won the elections.

Rasane said, “Congress MLA has just done protests and a few campaigns which were of no use to the common people.”