Pune Residents Demand Uniform Road Standards After Grand Tour Success
In the wake of the highly successful Pune Grand Tour cycling event that concluded on January 23, residents of Pune are now calling for the same high-quality road standards to be applied throughout the city. The event showcased smooth, well-maintained roads along the cycling route, drawing praise from participants. However, this has highlighted a stark contrast with other city roads where uneven drainage chambers continue to pose significant safety hazards and cause financial burdens.
The Glaring Disparity in Road Quality
Residents have pointed out the glaring disparity between the pristine cycling route and parallel roads that remain plagued by uneven chambers. Chaitali Netake, a resident of Karve Nagar, emphasized, "The smoothness of the road along the Grand Tour route is really commendable and proves that PMC has the capacity to construct high-quality roads. The demand is now to create parity between the parallel roads and the cycling route and eliminate the uneven bumps and chambers." This sentiment is echoed across various neighborhoods, with many expressing frustration over the inconsistent infrastructure.
Safety Risks and Financial Toll
Beyond the immediate inconvenience, uneven chambers present serious safety risks. Anurag Tembhurnikar, a resident of Kalewadi, highlighted, "Uneven chambers are risky, two-wheelers often lose balance due to sudden bumps or dips, and these are a major reason for accidents, even fatal ones. This unevenness also causes traffic disruption as many of them try to avoid them." Additionally, residents report physical and financial tolls, including back pain from sudden jerks and damage to vehicle suspensions, tires, and undercarriages, particularly for cars with low ground clearance.
PMC's Response and New Standard Operating Procedure
In response to these complaints, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has set a March-end deadline to level approximately 10,000 stormwater chambers across the city. Ashit Jadhav, Superintendent Engineer of the PMC Road Department, explained, "During Pune Grand Tour, the chamber levelling work was done in a carriageway contract. And post-event, the PMC is actively fixing uneven, dangerous, and protruding chambers across the city by implementing a new SOP to align them with the road surface." The new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) involves:
- Precisely cutting the area around each chamber
- Replacing lids or frames as needed
- Levelling them with high-quality cement that hardens within four to five hours
This approach aims to address previous ineffective repairs caused by a lack of clear guidelines for contractors.
Financial Allocation and Ongoing Efforts
The PMC allocates a significant portion of its annual budget to address these issues. Annually, the corporation spends between Rs 7 to 8 crore on footpath and chamber repairs. Of this, around 30 per cent, approximately Rs 2 to 2.5 crore, is specifically dedicated to levelling uneven chambers. The chamber-levelling project began in November last year as part of the preparations for the Pune Grand Tour, employing advanced technology to raise over 15,000 chambers along the cycling route to road level. The success of this initiative has now set a benchmark that residents expect to be replicated across all city roads.
Resident Concerns Over Repair Quality
Despite these efforts, residents have raised concerns about the durability of repair work. Akshay Patil, a resident of Narayan Peth, noted, "Several chambers become uneven again within a few days of repair because the cement or concrete used is often of poor quality or the repair is not aligned with the road surface." This underscores the need for consistent quality control and adherence to the new SOP to ensure long-term solutions.
As Pune continues to grow and host international events like the Grand Tour, the demand for uniform, high-standard infrastructure becomes increasingly critical. Residents hope that the PMC's renewed focus and deadline will lead to safer, smoother roads throughout the city, mirroring the success seen during the cycling event.
