Pune: A coalition of Pune-based trusts and federations has served a legal notice on the District Magistrate and Collector, alleging that the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) has failed to hold mandatory, Supreme Court-mandated meetings for over two years. The action comes immediately after recent fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles in the Hinjawadi area, and residents based in Hinjawadi have served these legal notices. The notices have been served through lawyer Adv Satya Muley, and they alleged that it's a critical lapse in public safety oversight.
The notice, issued on Monday, demands that the administration immediately provide complete records of all DSRC meetings. It must include minutes and action plans of all DRSC meetings held since the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCCORS) directions were issued in March 2022. Failure to comply within seven days could lead to a contempt petition filed in the Supreme Court.
The legal action was prompted by a tragic incident on October 10 when a 34-year-old beautician was fatally run over by a Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) truck in Pandav Nagar on the Hinjawadi-Maan Road. The notice also references a similar, horrific incident two months prior in the same area. In that incident, an 11-year-old girl, Pratyusha Santosh Borate, died after being hit by a cement truck. The residents have called these incidents grave and recurring.
The complainants include the Hinjawadi Employees and Residents Trust (HEART), Forum of IT Employees (FITE), and Pimpri Chinchwad Co-operative Housing Society Federation (PCCHSF). They argue that the lack of DRSC meetings amounts to a violation of the mandatory obligations under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, through its March 29, 2022, directive, mandates that the DRSC, chaired by the District Collector, must hold meetings at least fortnightly virtually and once every month physically. Its core functions include periodically reviewing accidents, monitoring implementation of safety policies, developing a district road safety plan, and publishing accident data monthly in the public domain. The groups claim that no such meetings have been publicly notified in Pune since the directive took effect.
The notice stresses that the lack of coordinated action by the DRSC is contributing to the alarming rise in road accidents in areas like PMC and PCMC. Residents from adjacent areas like Hinjewadi and Khadakwasla have come forward too. Due to inadequate enforcement and unregulated movement of heavy construction vehicles, accidents are happening.
Timeline of Events
- March 29, 2022: The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety mandates all District Road Safety Committees (DRSC) to meet monthly.
- August 10, 2025: 11-year-old girl killed in accident with RMC truck in Hinjawadi.
- October 10, 2025: A 34-year-old woman is killed by an RMC truck on Hinjawadi-Maan Road.
- October 14, 2025: Legal notice is served to the Pune District Collector's Office. It demanded compliance records within seven days.
Adv. Satya Mule said, "The administration should treat the notice with utmost seriousness and urgency to prevent further loss of life."
