Residents and hostellers staying near BMCC Road have expressed anger over large drainage pipes blocking stretches of the footpath. These pipes, left by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), are obstructing the path. As a result, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road, posing a significant risk.
Vaidehi Bhadani, a student of Symbiosis College, highlighted that pedestrians are facing hassles because the footpath has been covered by pipes for more than a month now. "We know Pune is topping the list in rash driving. We are constantly scared to walk on the roads as they are not safe. Now, the footpaths are covered with pipes. So, we have no place to go for walks."
Ananya Goel, another resident, cited, "Authorities should remove these pipes from the footpath as it poses a threat to the pedestrians. The pipes are blocking a chunk of the stretch. While it may not be blocking the entire route, the civic body should ensure that at least half of it is open to pedestrians.”
Another resident, Sumita Kale, took to X ( formerly known as Twitter) and wrote, "And a month has gone by just like that! @PMCPune has NO place in the city for storing pipes, or footpaths it is!! This is BMCC Road, along Gokhale Institute so lots of students are walking here (sic)."
Meanwhile, speaking to The Free Press Journal, Anirudh Pawaskar, Chief Superintendent Engineer, PMC Road Department, said, "Those are water supply department pipes. I will ask them to remove it as soon as possible. The work is going and it will removed at the earliest."
