E-Paper
Your Space: Pune Municipal Corporation fails to zero-in on Zero Stone upkeep
After the Pune Zero Stone monument was inaugurated on September 6, 2019, by Pune municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao, the civic body’s Dhole Patil Road ward office has failed to maintain it leading to gross neglect. Here readers give their views on how the civic body along with the residents can keep the historical monument well maintained
The ward office cleans the Zero Stone monument only when they are informed by higher authorities. The officials of the ward office are failing to carry out their duty regularly. The contractor has failed to put landscape patches in the dedicated landscape zones which lead to accumulation of dirt over the sculpture and seats. The civic body requires only Rs 3,000 per month and one person to keep the space clean. If a municipal corporation with an annual budget of 3,500 crore cannot manage to do such a small task then it is a sad state of affairs.
Abhijit Kondalkar, designer, Zero Stone project
Civic body should ensure regular maintenance
I appreciate the initiative taken by Hindustan Times to highlight the issue and bring it to the notice of the civic body. The civic body spent Rs 37.35 lakh for the project on restoring the monument, but if they cannot maintain it then it is a sad state of affairs. The civic body should ensure that the maintenance cost, including daily dusting, occasional replacement of parts and even renewal after certain periods is done regularly.
Kiran Kalamdani
People should behave responsibly
Zero Stone is a heritage milestone and the municipal ward office must maintain its cleanliness. Ever since the monument has been restored in September last year, it has attracted a lot of tourists and people in general who come to the General Post Office (GPO). These people sometimes destroy the public property. I will appreciate if people behave responsibly and help maintain it as it is a symbol of our rich history. If we build a wire mesh wall to keep it out of reach of the visitors it will not be visible to the visitors. The ward office looking after the maintenance needs to have a round-the-clock maintenance or look at exploring security options of placing guards at the site.
Harshada Shinde, executive engineer, PMC
Civic apathy
I went to a school in this area and I have been driving rickshaw on the route near the GPO for the past 40 years. The elderly and college students sit here on the benches and students even take selfies. This place provides respite to people who come and sit. Sometimes workers can be seen cleaning the space, but it should be done regularly.
Prakash Hariram Narang
Cleanliness and maintenance an issue
I have been in and out of Pune for more than ten years. I used to come here earlier. Near that tree (near the monument) people used to urinate, spit and the entire area looked like a dumping ground. Now, it looks like a historical place, but it should be cleaned and maintained properly. It is a historical monument and has its importance, so efforts should be taken by the authorities to keep the place clean.
Santosh Vaishnav
People can be seen smoking here
I think it was a good decision taken by the civic authorities to restore the monument. I pass from the road daily as I come to drop and pick my child from school. People can be seen smoking here near the monument. This deters people like us to come here along with our children.
Deepa Soni
I didn’t know this monument existed
I did not know this monument existed, but if people use this footpath daily it would be a delight to find it clean every day. A lot of people come to the post office daily and if the civic authorities maintain this place properly and provide basic amenities like cleanliness, street lights among others, it will be good.
Sayali Shinde