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Revival of Pune’s Zero Stone - Here’s how it happened

Hindustan Times, Pune | ByAbhay Khairnar and Parth Welankar, Pune
Sep 07, 2019 04:49 PM IST

The stone lay neglected for decades. At one time, it was half-buried under the pavement as a result of carelessness on the part of a civic contractor. It

puneletters@hindustantimes.com

Zero stone of Pune at Sadhu Vaswani Road in Pune before it was restored.(Pratham Gokhale/HT PHOTO)
Zero stone of Pune at Sadhu Vaswani Road in Pune before it was restored.(Pratham Gokhale/HT PHOTO)

Pune’s Zero Stone, a heritage landmark restored and unveiled by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on September 6, marks the point from where distances are measured between cities.

The stone lay neglected for decades. At one time, it was half-buried under the pavement as a result of carelessness on the part of a civic contractor. It was then being used as a stool to sit on by a fruit seller; and till recently, the neglected spot on the footpath outside the General Post Office (GPO) on Sadhu Vaswani Mission road was used to store brooms and sundry items by a roadside tea vendor.

The sad neglect of the heritage monument and the need for its restoration and beautification was raised by Hindustan Times in June-July 2017 and followed up with numerous news reports since then. Interactions were also held with civic officials and elected representatives for the restoration and protection of the heritage structure.

Residents sit on the promenade during the inauguration of Zero Stone in Pune, India, on Friday, September 6, 2019. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)
Residents sit on the promenade during the inauguration of Zero Stone in Pune, India, on Friday, September 6, 2019. (Pratham Gokhale/HT Photo)

The initiative gathered momentum after it was discussed once again at a HT Round Table in the presence of Pune mayor Mukta Tilak, the then civic commissioner Kunal Kumar, Leader of the Opposition in PMC, Arvind Shinde, and others. Former standing committee chairman Murlidhar Mohol (BJP) also took keen interest in the restoration proposed for the structure.

Accepting the fact that it was neglected for long, senior Congressman Shinde took up the responsibility for restoring the structure. “It’s unfortunate that the monument had been neglected. The restoration was delayed for too long; however, the work of beatification of the monument has been undertaken and will unveil it on September 6,” he said in an interview.

Acknowledged as the most important milestone of the city, it marks the exact geographic location of the city and also falls under the international system of units mapping.

The restoration work of the Zero Stone included increasing the width of the footpath as per urban street design guidelines, relocation of an autorickshaw stand and hawkers.

It also includes a dedicated design to highlight the importance of the stone while at the same time creating public spaces where history is told in an interactive means. A precinct will also be created at the site of the Zero Stone.

Significance of Zero Stone

The Zero Mile Stone is the point that marks the exact geographical location of the city. It was installed during the British rule to measure distances from one place to another. Under the British Raj, 80 such zero stones were installed at government post offices (GPO) across India after a survey.

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