Residents and commuters in the city are facing severe inconvenience due to ongoing sewerage and water pipeline work, resulting in massive traffic disruptions and safety concerns.
The situation has escalated as multiple roads across various areas such as Raviwar eth, Ganesh Peth, Phadke Haud, Mukund Nagar, and Swargate are being dug up simultaneously, exacerbating the woes of both motorists and pedestrians alike.
An auto-rickshaw driver, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the road has been torn up for over 30 days to accommodate drainage pipeline installations, severely impacting the smooth flow of traffic. The stretch from Phadke Haud to Daruwala Pull has become a bottleneck, with debris and concrete debris littering the road, adding to the misery of commuters.
Compounding the issue further, he added that the numerous stall vendors have encroached upon the remaining space, exacerbating the chaos on the roads. Shockingly, there is a noticeable absence of traffic police to manage the situation, he added.
Heavy traffic due to bad roads
Rakesh Gandhi, a regular commuter, expressed concern over the narrow passage from Kasba Peth to Daru Wala, which witnesses heavy traffic daily. He emphasised the danger posed to students of RCM Gujarat School, who are compelled to navigate the dug-up road, along with worshippers heading to nearby temples. Urging prompt action, he stressed the urgency of completing the work to restore normalcy.
Kedar Pattevar, another resident, questioned the rationale behind simultaneously digging up multiple roads instead of prioritising them one by one. He highlighted the complete blockage of roads from Dawat Hotel to Ranka Jewellers and Dhola Maruti Chowk to Ganesh Peth, severely affecting nearby markets and causing financial strain on transporters forced to navigate alternate routes. Blaming the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for mismanagement, he called for strict deadlines to be enforced to expedite the completion of the work.
In response to the escalating crisis, Nand Kishore Jagtap, head of the water department at PMC, assured that both sewerage and water pipeline constructions are underway and promised swift completion.
Efforts to seek clarification from Tandale Santosh Shrikrushn, the Superintending Engineer of the Sewerage, Maintenance, and Repair Department at PMC, were unsuccessful as he was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting.
