Baner residents plagued with issues of dumping waste, haphazard parking, uneven footpaths, encroachments etc
By: Pune Pulse
September 26, 2023
Pune: Residents of Baner Hill Road are struggling with several problems such as dumping of waste on footpaths, uneven footpaths to walk on, irresponsible vehicular parking, footpath encroachment by hawkers and more.
Vihang Shah, a resident of Baner Hill Road said, “Often when people cut trees or plants of their gardens in the monsoon, they compile that waste & keep it outside their spaces for the waste pickers. However, the garden waste remains on the footpaths for a much longer duration as it is not picked up timely. Also, the footpaths, which were dug up because of the metro work in Baner are now concretized making it uneven. Senior citizens like me face problems while walking on these roads. Making the matter worse is the encroachments done by roadside hawkers. They keep running their carts & businesses on footpaths, right from Someshwar Chowk to Balewadi Phata.”
Sameer Laghate, another resident of Baner Hill Road said, “All the issues such as uneven footpaths to walk, garden waste being piled up on footpaths etc. are very much prevalent in the area. Footpaths are uneven which is causing trouble for senior citizens to walk properly. Another issue is that there are a lot of parking issues near our area which is causing so much inconvenience. Hawkers, street food vendors etc. keep running their businesses & carts on the footpaths. There is also a ramp opposite Kapil Malhar Society on Baner road which is blocking half the road. Traffic chokes in peak hours. Two-wheeler accidents happen after dark as this patch is very uneven and not very noticeable.”
Hemant Suryawanshi, a resident of Baner Hill Road said, “Hawkers run their businesses on footpaths every day. They are backed by powerful persons, and politicians so nobody does anything against them. These hawkers pay a hefty monthly rent to these powerful people. Another issue is that the footpaths have become uneven as their beautification was done during the G20 time. However, the footpaths are uneven, making it difficult for people to walk on it. Then there is the issue of parking where a lot of people simply park their vehicles and go to the nearby shopping centers. PMC has been requested several times to resolve these but nothing has been done so far.”
Girish Dapkekar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, Aundh-Baner Ward Office said, “We have understood the issue. We will send our officials to the spots and if anything is found, we will take strict action against the offenders.”
