PMC to undertake walking surveys to find & fix road-related problems

According to the road department, there is a network of 1,400 km of roads in the city of which 500 km of roads are more than 12 metres in width

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come up with a novel method to find out the problems associated with each and every road namely, walking surveys, wherein junior engineers and their senior deputy engineers from the road department will undertake 5km walks of all the important roads in their respective divisions. Upon identifying the problems associated with various roads and footpaths, the team will submit its report to the road department chief every week based on which action will be taken, civic officials said on Tuesday.

Upon identifying the problems associated with various roads and footpaths, the team will submit its report to the road department chief every week based on which action will be taken, civic officials said on Tuesday. (SHANKAR NARAYAN/ HT PHOTO)

PMC road department head V J Kulkarni said, “The civic body has decided that it will survey the roads during the walking survey. An on-the-spot situation report will be prepared and submitted to the division in-charge and immediate action will be taken.”

According to the road department, there is a network of 1,400 km of roads in the city of which 500 km of roads are more than 12 metres in width. The road department is divided into seven zones, and has 40 junior- and 20 deputy- engineers.

The walking survey comes at a time when the PMC administration is drawing flak from citizens for pothole-ridden roads and lack of repairs. A number of suburban areas have been facing similar issues, with no solutions in sight. The walking survey plan envisages a detailed mitigation plan to clear the potholes and other road-related issues widely reported on social media and other online platforms. According to officials, the walking survey will address problems related to encroachment, road repairs, road expansion, debris and other issues. A detailed report will be filed before the senior engineer of the division after which immediate action will be taken.

Civic activist Akramul Jabbar Khan said that the PMC has a habit of delaying road repairs and carries out questionable and sub-standard work, which has increased the burden of citizens. The PMC must pay compensation to the citizens for accidents due to poor roads, and regular FIRs must be lodged against the civic body for its inept working, he said.