Bombay High Court orders PMC to make expert committees functional regarding road issues

By: Pune Pulse

December 19, 2023

Pune: The Bombay High Court has ordered the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on December 18 to make the 2 expert committees for road-related issues: the Standard Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) & Road Development and Road Maintenance Committee (RDRMC) functional within 3 weeks.

As per information shared by Qaneez Sukhrani, a Pune citizen activist, the petitioners Qaneez Sukhrani & Pushkar Kulkarni had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Bombay High Court challenging the gross negligence of the PMC in repairing, maintaining and layering roads in Pune according to correct scientific technique.

The PIL further continues that the neglect of the PMC is even more shocking in light of the fact that the orders of the Bombay High Court in multiple PILs have resulted in the constitution of expert panels that have provided over 100 action points for the PMC to undertake for repairing, maintaining and layering roads, streets, lanes within the city. These expert groups include the State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) and the Road Development and Road Maintenance Committee (RDRMC).

The STAC committee was constituted in 2007 by PMC with experts in road engineering from the state and city level to suggest technical measures for improving the quality of design, specifications and construction of roads and their proper upkeep and to advise on proper maintenance management systems for roads. The committee submitted a report with 130 detailed technical action points that could be undertaken by the PMC to improve the quality of roads.

The PIL continues that 9 years later, the PMC constituted the RDRMC in 2016, which was entrusted with the task of reviewing the STAC report and the then road development and maintenance scenario in Pune City. The RDRMC categorically noted at several points in its report submitted in August 2016 that the STAC committee recommendations were not being implemented by the respondent corporation.

Also, presently, in 2023, 6 years after the submission of the RDRMC report, recommendations of both the STAC and RDRMC reports are yet to be implemented. PMC proceeds with in-house and knee-jerk methods to repair, maintain and layer roads, streets, and lanes. Due to the negligence of the PMC, citizens of Pune have been constrained to and forced to accept the permanent status of dangerous roads within the city, and annually witness a colossal waste of resources as roads are shoddily and unevenly patched up, and potholes are superficially filled. The result is a patchwork quilt.

Hence, the petitioners had approached the Bombay High Court seeking directions that the STAC and RDRMC Committee reports be complied with forthwith and that a committee be constituted comprising of one retired judge, one advocate, two technical experts (one from IIT Bombay, another from the Central Institute of Road Transport) and two citizens of Pune with expertise in the field of road engineering, to oversee the implementation of the STAC and RDRMC reports.

As per the Bombay High Court order, it has been stated that at present, both the committees, namely, Standard Technical Advisory Committee and Road Development and Road Maintenance Committee, for some reason, are not functional. The High Court has, thus, directed the PMC commissioner to take the requisite steps and ensure that these two committees become functional within 3 weeks.

In case for some reason the PMC Commissioner is unable to make these committees functional during this period, it will be open to the Pune Municipal Commissioner to seek further time by making an appropriate application to the Bombay High Court citing reasons.

Shreyas Vange