Pune Drowns Again! Tree Falls Kill 2, Roads Washed Away, Open Manholes & Potholes Turn City Into Deathtrap – Residents Rage At PMC (VIDEO And PHOTOS)

While Punekars are already troubled by the continuous rainfall, their woes have been worsened by civic apathy. The city is grappling with heavy rains and strong winds that have not only damaged property but also claimed three lives. Areas like Hinjewadi, Kharadi, Hadapsar, Fursungi, and Warje witnessed flood-like conditions as rainwater entered homes and basements.

Residents are struggling to register complaints and get timely resolutions from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Roads are riddled with potholes, and some recently repaired stretches have been washed away by the rain. Choked drains have led to severe waterlogging, and commuting has become dangerous. Citizens claim that open manholes pose a serious risk, with the possibility of vehicles getting stuck or pedestrians falling in accidentally.

The rain in Pune has claimed three lives. While two people died in tree-fall incidents, a child was electrocuted during the downpour.

Residents speak up

Deepali Sardesmukh, a social activist, expressed her concern over bad roads, open manholes, and potholes in the road."I have written a letter to the Pune Municipal Commissioner urging the authorities not to overlook our issues. These are causing a great hindrance in day-to-day activities. Due to unseasonal heavy rains in the past few days, a large amount of water had accumulated on the roads. Broken and cracked chambers, roads with potholes of sieve size, severe traffic problems, unauthorized hoardings are causing great hardship to the citizens."

She added, "There are drains on many roads. The roads in Hadapsar, Fursungi, Bhekrainagar, Saswad Road, Palkhi Highway, and Solapur Road are in very bad condition, and traffic is very bad. All these areas have become death traps. Accidents are happening frequently in these areas. There are unauthorized hawkers on all the roads, due to which there is no space to walk on the road. Also, buses, trucks, and other vehicles are parked on the roads. As a result, citizens are losing their lives in this. I urge the authorities to look into the matter and give us a sign of relief."

Fursungi's issue

Deepak Wadkar, a resident of Fursungi, said, "The areas like Fursungi are facing complete negligence by the authorities. The officials claim that the area falls into Nagar Parishad, but my concern is that it was earlier under PMC jurisdiction, then they should have improved some of the roads and provided the facilities."

"Two or three months back, a 24-year-old man died because of the potholes. We don't have corporators, which is making our issues even worse. We even appealed to the state government to intervene, and they actually sanctioned Rs 80 lakh approx for the development of 120 metres of road. And one and a half months back, they even cancelled that. This road is also known as Palkhi Marg because Warkaris march through this road, even then the condition of the roads is bad," he added.

Chronic waterlogging in Kalyani Nagar

Another resident of Kalyani Nagar said, "Of all chronic waterlogging spots in Kalyani Nagar, most of them are not fixed yet. Many spots are a consequence of poor road design and execution. Similarly, storm drainage systems have not been aligned correctly with sags. Several water accumulation spots are a consequence of sags in the road surface without a drain chamber in the necessary position."

He added, "A few manholes are observed to be choked with mud and other sediments. A few are planned to be replaced by steel grids which are prone to theft. Yes, we all are highly frustrated with the current state of civic affairs in our neighbourhood and the city. Yet, we must continue to persevere in a constructive and meaningful manner with the intent to elicit the best response from the PMC."

Aniruddha Pawaskar, Head of PMC's Road Department, refrained from commenting on it.

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