E-Paper
Bad roads, potholes in Pune are an all-season malady
Missing cement blocks, gravel strewn on the pavement and pothole-ridden roads have irked residents of Baner and Balewadi who feel their requests are being ignored by civic body
Broken pavement blocks, crater-like potholes are a usual site for residents living along Baner road and Balewadi. The residents allege that the condition is the same throught the year and the incessant rains have only escalated the situation.
While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is working towards making Pune a smart city, residents demand basic facility of pothole-free roads.
Avinash Zodpe, resident of Balewadi said, “Residents of at least 30 societies have issues with pothole-ridden roads, electricity and sewage for the past seven years. Despite writing to the civic authorities on multiple occasions, nothing has been done to improve the situation. Our area comes under the smart city project, PMC has only reconstructed the main roads, and have done nothing for the internal roads which is in shambles.”
K N Peethambaran a resident said, “The 700 -metre stretch from Golden Trellis society to Sai chowk has become mishap-prone and is ridden with potholes. Since most of the potholes are in the middle of the road it becomes difficult for commuters to drive. Residents and senior citizens cannot walk on this road as vehicles passing by splash water on them. The potholes are also adding to health issues as mosquitoes and other insects breed in them.”
Sudarshan Jagdale, chairman of Concord Portia co-operative housing society said, “There is no proper approach road to multiple societies from Sai chowk to Concord Portia. Due to incessant rains, the area which is a part of the smart city resembles a village instead of a plush suburb.”
A resident of Baner, who does not want to be named said, “The residents living along the Indu Park road in Baner are also under lot of duress when the sides of the road cave in to rains. We complained on the PMC app on multiple occasions, however, the civic authorities close the complain without working on the site. When the work is incomplete, how can PMC claim to have finished the job?”
What this PMC is doing
Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) road department is currently responding to at least 20 complaints a day relating to the pothole menace the city is facing
-PMC has announced a toll-free number helpline number - 1800 1030 222 - on which residents can call in to complain about potholes in a particular area
-PMC had published an advertisement asking residents to take pictures of potholes and send it along with geo location to the above mentioned number
-PMC has released a list of area-wise engineers responsible for maintenance work on the civic body’s website www.pmc.gov.in
“It is true that potholes are developing on city roads and PMC is trying to repair them. We have hired four road maintenance vans. These vans clear the potholes and repair them when there is no rain. At least 20 complaints are handled everyday by these road maintenance vans,” said Aniruddha Pawaskar, head, PMC road department.
Who is to blame
Aniruddha Pawaskar, head, PMC road department says residents should not blame the civic authorities for bad quality roads.
“Constant digging of roads by civic authorities for work and by private agencies has lead to the degradation of roads and potholes. The reason for increased potholes is road trenching. The PMC water and drainage department need to dig roads, in the same area another 25 private agencies want to trench the road for various works, this has escalated the pothole issue. Despite repairing the road, it remains weak. Potholes have manly emerged on the surface, where the roads have been trenched earlier,” he said.
PMC’s solution: Duct facility
Duct facility for laying various service lines is not present in Pune. The PMC is now proposing to construct ducts on various roads as there would be no need to dig the road separately. If the duct facility is implemented then there would be no potholes in the city
PMC’s quick-fix for Mohammadwadi residents
A day after HT reported the accident involving Zia Inamdar on Mohammadwadi-Undri link road on July 10, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) road department carried out the temporary repair work of the pothole, and have filled it with cement.
Aniruddha Pawaskar, head, PMC road department said, “The PMC maintenance van repaired the pothole. We carried out the work as soon as we received the residents complain. It is sad that the resident had to suffer major injuries. The repair work of the potholes in the city are being carried out based on the complaints received by residents and the police administration.”
Activist Daljeet Goraya said “ We have asked the PMC to carry out a survey of all the main roads in Mohammadwadi and Undri. The entire road infrastructure is in shambles due to poor quality of road work. The nexus between builders, PMC, contractors and elected representatives of the past has brought us to this pathetic situation. No repair of potholes and constructing bad quality of roads must be made IPC offences.”
Siddhartha Dhende, deputy mayor of Pune said, “The local body cannot cope up with the pace of urbanisation and the public transport is dying in the city.There are nexus between politicians, government officials and contractors in milking money from government contracts, so quality of roads is compromised, which results in damage and potholes.To avoid this strict vigilance is must.”