Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit Pune on Thursday to inaugurate the District Court to Swargate stretch of Pune Metro and other development projects worth ₹22,600 crore. However, the PM's visit was cancelled due to the heavy rain situation in the city. For his scheduled visit, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had done a lot of preparation, including setting up barricades on roads where he was likely to travel. Meanwhile, even two days after the cancellation of his visit, the barricades have still not been removed.
An X (formerly Twitter) user took to the microblogging site and posted pictures of the unremoved barricades on Fergusson College Road. Tagging the civic body, the user wrote, "Dear @PMCPune, These bamboo barricades put up on Fergusson College road, presumably for VIP visit, are blocking the cycle track and access to the footpath. Kindly get them removed and free up the cycle track. Thanks."
Responding to the user's post, the PMC's official handle commented, "Sir/Madam, We have registered your complaint. Your complaint Token number is T52906. You can check the current status of your complaint at: https://complaint.pmc.gov.in. Thank you."
Meanwhile, when The Free Press Journal contacted the PMC, we learned that the barricades are unlikely to be removed until Sunday.
Chetana Kerure, Deputy Commissioner, Zone 5, PMC, said, "The bamboo barricades were installed for the PM's visit on September 26. However, it got cancelled and we haven't removed them as there is another programme scheduled on September 29." She added, "I don't understand how it is causing inconvenience to cyclists. They are hardly occupying any space. The barricades will be removed as soon as the event is over."
