E-Paper
No end to pothole saga as PMC’s quick fix fails... again
In Bekhrainagar, crater-like potholes cover half the road width, while the rest is filled with mud. Residents say that they have no choice but to commute through this ill-maintained, accident-prone road
Heavy rainfall on Tuesday morning caused waterlogging in several areas of Pune, disturbing normal lives of residents.
Early in September, after heavy rains, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) used quick-fix methods and easy drying materials to fill potholes that riddled the city. However, all the work done by the civic department was undone in just two heavy spells of rain that lashed the city in the last 48 hours.
In Bekhrainagar, crater-like potholes cover half the road width, while the rest is filled with mud. Residents say that they have no choice but to commute through this ill-maintained, accident-prone road.
According to residents, potholes have reappeared in areas like Wanowrie, NIBM, Undri, Katraj, Gangadham, Iskcon road and Mohammadwadi.
Gul Jagat, a resident of Sunshree Housing Society, NIBM, said, “It is dangerous to ride a two-wheeler on these roads and four-wheelers need regular service centre visits as they often breakdown on these pothole-filled stretches. These potholes have also become a health hazard as residents complain of back pain.”
Dinkar Gojare, deputy engineer, PMC road department said, “We have filled the potholes, but, due to constant rains these base of the potholes becomes wet. What we need is a dry spell for the repair work to sustain. For immediate relief we have used cold mix. This has to be done manually and is an expensive process. We do not have enough stock of this cold mix. The PMC plant prepares only hot mix which does not work due to constant rains.”
Dereck T, a Pisoli resident and regular commuter of Clover Hill Plaza road near NIBM, said, “It was just a month ago that the civic body repaired the potholes, however, with the rains, the potholes are back again. The entire stretch is patchy and bad for driving.”
Gajanan Dake has no choice but to use the Bharati Vidyapeeth road with or without the potholes. “The potholes are back and it shows the bad work done by the civic body. PMC needs to find a permanent solution to this recurring problem,” said Dake.
