Pune: Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi have initiated a year-long effort to improve everyday civic services by setting up a city-level Transformation Cell, aimed at fixing routine problems faced by citizens through better inter-agency coordination.
The two officials said the focus would be on small, achievable interventions rather than large, long-gestation projects. “Instead of setting big targets, we have decided to make citizens’ day-to-day life easier by addressing smaller issues that collectively lead to larger change,” they said.
The idea, they added, took shape during the Pune Grand Cycle Tour, which showed that visible improvements are possible within a short period if agencies work in tandem. “The biggest hurdle is poor coordination among government and private agencies,” the officials said.
Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the Transformation Cell has been formed within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and includes multiple departments. “In the first meeting, we asked departments to openly flag issues they face with other agencies. At the same time, PMC placed its own problems on the table, particularly delays caused by pending permissions,” he said.
Among the examples discussed was road widening projects where electric poles remain in the middle of newly widened roads, negating the benefits. “Electricity departments often face budget constraints. In such cases, PMC will fund the shifting of poles, and the concerned department will reimburse the amount in phases,” Ram said.
{{/usCountry}}Among the examples discussed was road widening projects where electric poles remain in the middle of newly widened roads, negating the benefits. “Electricity departments often face budget constraints. In such cases, PMC will fund the shifting of poles, and the concerned department will reimburse the amount in phases,” Ram said.
{{/usCountry}}Both the commissioner and the collector said the initiative would also help avoid repeated road digging. “We plan to hold the cycle tour next year as well. Keeping that in mind, departments are being asked to plan in advance so that utility work can be completed alongside PMC projects. Once roads are built, agencies will not need to seek fresh permissions for digging,” they said.
Officials from multiple agencies attended the meeting, including Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, revenue department, BSNL, Pune Metro, PMPML, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), forest department, Pune and Khadki cantonments, Pune police, RTO, and various departments of the PMC.
The officials said the Transformation Cell would meet regularly to track progress and resolve bottlenecks, with the aim of delivering time-bound, citizen-focused outcomes within a year.