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Residents of Baner and Balewadi fume over civic apathy
Open manholes, stolen drainage covers, and gaps in between the footpaths have become “an everyday sight” for the residents
Open manholes, stolen drainage covers, and gaps in between the footpaths have become “an everyday sight” for the residents of Baner and Balewadi with residents complaining of danger while walking or driving vehicles.
Despite repeated complaints raised about these, the residents, however, found themselves in no man’s land when it comes to attending to the complaints. Neither the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) nor the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (PSCDCL) has been able to help the residents, for each of the offices blames the other.
When a Slovak national, working in MNC in Balewadi saw the gaping open manhole, while walking to work, he was surprised to see that no one had come to repair it. “I walk often to work from hotel Orchid to Balewadi High Street and find that there is a gaping hole close to the road opposite Sadanand hotel, breaking the footpath. It is indeed difficult to walk along the road with traffic zooming past. I am worried that I might hurt myself if I am not careful,” said Igor M.
Similarly, morning walkers along the Baner main road and Pancard Club also have complained many times about incomplete footpaths and open manholes.
Prakash Somaiya, a regular walker on the Pancard Club, is frustrated with the state of affairs when it comes to the roads. “From Baner main road, Ganaraj Mangal Karyalaya until Sadanand hotel, every 200 to 300 metres, you will see a gap, or either an open manhole. People are navigating on the uneven, broken footpaths too. We have approached the Smart City officials, but they simply pass the buck stating that this area is not under them. When you approach PMC, they have the same answer, then who is supposed to help repair them?”
Sarang Wable, another resident, was witness to a car falling back in a gaping hole between the road and the drainage on Alpine Ridge road, above Pancard road. “I saw this car backing and as he was about to turn, his wheels slammed into the incomplete drainage hole and almost fell. We had to call for a pick-up service to bring the car back on the road. There are several such instances where people have put stone boulders to alert citizens of open drainage holes, but the officials are not doing anything about it,” said Wable.
Assistant municipal commissioner Aundh ward office said, “The said road comes under the Smart City. We have forwarded the complaint to a Smart City engineer.”
PMC road department executive engineer Dinkar Gojare said, “The said road is under maintenance partly by National Highway, but even though I will instruct the PMC team for necessary repairs. The road from Sadanand hotel to Someshwar Wadi is under Smart City and it is their responsibility to maintain the roads for the next five years as a defect liability period. Under the Smart city, they have approximately 45 km of road in Baner Balewadi and 30 km in Aundh.”
Sanjay Kolte, chief executive officer, Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL), said, “We will verify the spots and then take a decision, for Smart City is not involved in maintaining some of the roads in Baner and Balewadi. It is true that Aundh, Baner-Balewadi is under the Smart City, but not every work is in our scope. Several agencies are working together in Baner-Balewadi and we are just an agency like others working on the public-private partnership. In fact, PMC should take leadership and coordinate instead of passing the buck.”
Some of the roads Smart City is taking care of are from Ganraj Chowk to Balewadi phata – 620 metres, Balewadi Phata to Banergaon – 1050 metres, Baner to Veritas – 870 metres, though one side 135 metres is remaining to be developed as it is under litigation, Veritas to Ivory Estate – 850 metres. The rest of the part of the road network in Baner and Balewadi is under PMC.
In the past, there have been accidents due to open manholes, like the one of a daily wage labourer Ramesh Koli, 22, who suffered injuries on his legs, hands and trunk after falling into a 10-foot-deep uncovered manhole at Prabhatnagar in Pimple Gurav.
There also have been manhole thefts which have also left the residents bewildered like that of the steel lid chambers on the road connecting Sadanand hotel, Baner, to the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) circle or recent one at Rajyog society, Baner, which was replaced by Smart City with fibre with no possibility of theft.
