Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has started a drive to fill potholes after facing criticism from citizens about ignoring their complaints on bad road conditions, but swiftly filling the craters falling on CM Eknath Shinde’s route through Sangvi on Monday, when he went to meet flood-affected people. A senior Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation ( PCMC ) official said commissioner Shekhar Singh had ordered that all potholes within civic limits be fixed in five days. City engineer Makarand Nikam said they had formed 32 dedicated teams for the special drive.
“Earlier, our teams had identified 2,606 potholes — of which 2,050 were filled till Aug 5. The remaining 556 are being filled now.” Officials claimed to have fixed 989 potholes in the last two days.
As many as 327 PCMC officials were involved in the action . Nikam said that with many citizens reporting potholes in their areas through Smart Sarathi application, new locations were being added to the list. The civic body had received 130 pothole-related complaints through the said helpline between Aug 1 and Aug 7.
All were forwarded to concerned departments for appropriate action. Meanwhile, residents blamed PCMC for not paying attention to their complaints. Pimple Saudagar resident Snehal Jain said, “The road connecting Pimpri and Kalewadi is filled with craters which have been there for a long time.
Recently, I met with an accident and sustained an injury after riding over one such pothole.” Shubham Kandale travels daily to Wakad for work. He said, “PCMC did not fill potholes before monsoon.
The road connecting Jagtap Dairy Chowk and Bhujbal Chowk is in bad shape. There are big potholes at the Kala Khadak signal in Wakad and near Phoenix Mall too. It is impossible for any citizen to miss the massive craters, but PCMC officials have failed to notice them.
” A senior PCMC official said a majority of complaints related to potholes were received from areas such as Wakad, Kiwale and Ravet. Areas including Punawale, Charholi, Moshi and Chikhali, which were merged with PCMC in 1997, were worse off, since these neighbourhoods were never really given proper roads as per the development plan. Charholi resident Kunal Tapkir said, “The road connecting Charholi Phata and Charholi was constructed last year.
Civic officials and private firms dug up the expanse several times to lay amenity lines, worsening the condition and leading to huge craters.” Sumit Dhage of Punawale, said, “Roads are filled with potholes and PCMC does not appear worried. Every time we report it, officials come and do some patchwork — which gets washed away within days.
”.
