Three years since two techies were washed away in their cars at the bridge and the bridge over Bhairoba nullah near Ganga Satellite society in Wanowrie, administered by the Pune Municipal Corporation-Pune Cantonment Board (PMC-PCB), continues to pose a risk to the lives of locals and commuters. The reason is that no safety measures such as a flash flood alarm system, streetlights or barricading have been put in place despite the many dangers associated with the monsoon.
Although there was heavy rain on Sunday, neither the PMC nor PCB issued warning or barricaded both ends of the bridge to prevent commuters from using it. Housing societies in Wanowrie and the NIBM road area including Ganga Satellite, Utopia, Clover Village, Radiant, Nancy Garden, Kumar Homes, Manish Park Phase 2, Padma Vilas Enclave, Natasha Enclave and Rose Parade were impacted by the rain.
Maithili Manakwad, a resident of the area, said, “The bridge was open for vehicular traffic during peak monsoon and also during the downpour when it should have been closed. There were no barricades on either side and it was a great risk for commuters. Also, the bridge area should be completely illuminated and more street lamps need to be installed to guide commuters. Police presence during times of crisis is a must to ward-off major accidents like in the past.”
Tejas Sonawane, another resident, said, “The barricades were put up on Monday, which shows a complete lack of preparedness. We need a flood alarm system and all the nearby societies must be informed by the disaster management cell about the likelihood of overflow of the nullah. The road to the bridge must be closed immediately when it starts raining as it is a risk to the lives of citizens. Commuters must use the other road which has a bridge in the immediate vicinity to avoid risks during heavy rains.”
{{/usCountry}}Tejas Sonawane, another resident, said, “The barricades were put up on Monday, which shows a complete lack of preparedness. We need a flood alarm system and all the nearby societies must be informed by the disaster management cell about the likelihood of overflow of the nullah. The road to the bridge must be closed immediately when it starts raining as it is a risk to the lives of citizens. Commuters must use the other road which has a bridge in the immediate vicinity to avoid risks during heavy rains.”
{{/usCountry}}Assistant commissioner Sham Taru said, “We will take into consideration all suggestions of area residents regarding bridge safety. The PMC has come up with a detailed plan to ensure that commuting is safe and secure for end-users crossing the bridge. Also, commuters have been requested to use the alternate bridge which is safe during the monsoon.”
In 2019, two techies were washed away at the bridge over Bhairoba nullah while they were in their cars. One of them, an amputee by the name Victor Sangle, has not been traced till date while the corpse of the other, Salim Shaikh, was found some 130 km away from Pune in Jamkhed district of Ahmednagar.