E-Paper
PMC suspends jr. engineer for unauthorised road digging, serves notice to 8 others
On Thursday when PMC additional commissioner Vikas Dhakane made a surprise visit to Pashan, he found that the newly-resurfaced, asphalted stretch from Abhimanshree Society had been dug up
A junior engineer from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) road department was suspended for unnecessary digging of the entire stretch at Pashan from Abhimanshree Society; another junior engineer was served notice for interruption of work on the Katraj-Kondhwa Road; whereas seven other engineers were issued show cause notices in different road-related works as part of the civic body’s efforts to prevent unauthorised and unwarranted disruptions to infrastructure, newly-developed or otherwise.
On Thursday when PMC additional commissioner Vikas Dhakane made a surprise visit to Pashan, he found that the newly-resurfaced, asphalted stretch from Abhimanshree Society had been dug up citing laying of a water pipeline as the reason. In reality however, the water pipeline had already been laid and the road had been tarred after coordination with the water supply department, Dhakane discovered. Upon returning to office, he ordered suspension of the concerned junior engineer.
Dhakane said, “While the city is actively working on maintenance of roads and repair of footpaths, some officials in the road department seem to be ignoring proper procedures. Instances of verbal approvals for digging and neglect of kerb and sidewalk regulations have raised concerns. Besides suspending one engineer, we have issued show cause notices to seven engineers in different road-related works as part of the efforts to rectify such issues.”
Additionally, another junior engineer was issued notice for interruption of work on the Katraj-Kondhwa Road. Work on the road had been stopped for two days without informing the seniors, prompting action to ensure proper communication and coordination within the department. There is a lack of coordination between different departments of the civic body and citizens find themselves at the receiving end of this.
Santosh Nimhan, who lives in Pashan, said, “Traffic issues are increasing in Pashan and Baner. The ongoing digging of roads by the PMC has only worsened the existing problems.”
“Lack of coordination between the corporation’s own departments is causing more chaos. Ongoing projects such as the Metro and road-widening, especially on big roads, are making the traffic situation even more challenging for people throughout the city,” Nimhan said.
An instance of the lack of coordination between civic departments can be seen on Pashan Road where the water supply department is laying water pipelines for the 24x7 water supply scheme and road department officials allege that the concerned contractor is not consulting the road department while carrying out the works.
Whereas an official from the water supply department said, “We have provided a detailed plan to the road department for excavating and laying water pipelines. The road department needs to prioritise the 24x7 water supply project before proceeding with road development work.”
