The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognizance of a complaint lodged against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) by Mohammadwadi residents. The residents have accused the civic administration of grave human rights violations as a result of the incomplete Shankarrao Madhukar Ghule Patil road, for which work was to begin six years ago.
The commission acknowledged the application received from Daljeet Goraya, secretary, Ganga Kingston Society in Mohammawadi and member of NIBM Annexe Citizens Watch Group, and issued a notice to the civic body. It is for the first that the NHRC has issued a notice to PMC over the road issue, an indicator of complete administrative apathy.
The notice stated, “ The grievance raised in the complaints relate to matters which are a subject of the State. Let the complaints be transferred to the concerned State Human Rights Commission under Section 13(6) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, for disposal in accordance with the provision of the Act.”
Goraya, in his detailed complaint to the NHRC, had stated that citizens of Ganga Kingston Housing Society will demand the registration of criminal offences, including a First Information Report (FIR), against all the PMC officials responsible for road construction since they had failed to do their duty and showed complete apathy for the plight of the citizens.
The complainants have welcomed the development and described it as a major milestone in their battle against an allegedly inept PMC road department.
{{/usCountry}}The complainants have welcomed the development and described it as a major milestone in their battle against an allegedly inept PMC road department.
{{/usCountry}}The complaint stated, “The PMC road department has been negligent in discharging its official duties. This has endangered the lives of over 4,000 residents of Mohammadwadi, who have not had a well built road for the past six years. Residents’ are prone to accidents as a result of the incomplete road. There have also been cases of miscarriages due to the lack of a proper road. The PMC is silent on the issue and hence, their conduct needs to be investigated. An FIR must be registered against the concerned officials and they must also be suspended from service.”
The complaint went on to add that there was a serious lapse on the part of the administration, especially the building permissions and road department, which had allegedly committed a serious lapse while sanctioning residential projects without a proper road.
Residents have complained to the Chief Justice of India, governor of Maharashtra, Pune police commissioner and Devendra Phadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra, alleging that road department and building permission officials were obstructing the construction of the road for the past six years and it was only after the citizens took up the issue with the media, that the road department has decided to act. The road construction work, which began on February 2018, has been moving at a snails pace with citizens alleging that construction is haphazard and the quality of the materials used is questionable. The residents of the area have stated that they will conduct a thorough evaluation of the road in June to determine the quality of the material used. If any discrepancy is found, a complaint will be lodged with the chief minister about the PMC road department’s callousness and substandard construction.Similarly, protests are also being planned against the civic body for misleading the citizens.