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Fund deficit of ₹500 cr causing devastation in Pune cantonment area
The area has become a cesspool of filth and garbage, damaged roads, encroachment by hawkers, traffic signal failure, stray cattle wandering on the streets, illegal construction and crime
At a time when the central government seems to be firm about the merger of the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) and six others with local municipal bodies by initiating the process of excision, the cantonment area for the first time since its inception has become an example of civic neglect and breakdown. The area has become a cesspool of filth and garbage, damaged roads, encroachment by hawkers, traffic signal failure, stray cattle wandering on the streets, illegal construction and crime. While residents allege that with thinning revenue grants from the centre and burgeoning establishment costs, the board has reached the nadir of near-bankruptcy.
The PCB is facing a severe shortage of funds from the central government in the wake of its impending excision, which awaits approval from the ministry of defence. Funds to the tune of more than Rs500 crore are yet to be released from the state coffers since 2017. Due to non-availability of funds, several development projects have taken a hit in the past six years. The 40 odd cantonment gardens are in a state of neglect due to the lack of cantonment staffers and discontinuation of private agencies that were looking after their maintenance and repairs. Similarly, the restoration of Chhatrapati Shivaji market, a grade A heritage building, and the reconstruction of Fashion street are moving at a snail’s pace with no clear indications of early completion of work. The cantonment hospital infrastructure upgradation, too, has slowed down due to lack of funds and the private sector – NGOs and foundations – is being roped in for carrying out the necessary work. The cantonment crematorium has been defunct since April, and the board has had to take assistance from private social organisations to set up a new chimney and allied infrastructure for the funeral pyres, especially during the monsoon. The road infrastructure across the cantonment area has become a nightmare to negotiate with the main road from Dhobi ghat to Pul gate dotted with crater-like potholes. Similarly, the roads opposite West End theatre and the interior cantonment roads are in bad shape due to lack of repairs for the last few years. The road dividers too have broken and are leading to accidents, according to social activists.
Cantonment crusader, advocate Netraprakash Bhog, said, “The cantonment area has to be freed from the grip of hawkers as it has lost its pristine beauty. The lack of funds and feeble governance are creating problems for the residents at large. Also, the rise of unauthorised construction is a major issue which has to be tackled at the highest level.”
Social worker Rajabhau Chavan said, “The board needs overhauling as the old methods of delivery of civic services are not yielding results. There is a shortage of staff, and funds are required for a hospital, parking lots, road repairs, garden maintenance and several other projects. The state’s stopping of GST dues has sounded the death knell for the PCB, and it is high time that an appropriate decision is taken to mitigate the crisis.”
PCB-nominated member Sachin Mathurawala, told Hindustan Times, “The only ray of hope is excision which will ensure that the civilian area of the cantonment gets justice otherwise the infrastructure is in shambles with cantonment residents suffering in terms of basic wants.”
