Pune Rivers and Hills in Focus Amid Lok Sabha Election Campaign. Read more here. 

Residents in Pune spotlight concerns of river pollution and urban development as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a rally.

As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, Pune’s environmental and urban development issues are capturing the attention of both politicians and citizens. Notable among these are the debates over the Balbharti-Paud Road, which would cut through a popular hill in the city, and the Riverfront Development Projects aimed at beautifying and restoring the rivers that have deteriorated into sewer-like conditions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Pune campaigning for the Mahayuti alliance’s candidates across four constituencies, found himself being urged by locals on social media to address these pressing concerns. During his visit, which included a rally attended by nearly 200,000 people at the Racecourse Ground, Modi was directly appealed to via a tweet by local fitness influencer Chirag Barjatya. Barjatya highlighted the poor state of Pune’s rivers, suggesting that if Modi travelled by helicopter or car, he would witness firsthand the rivers’ plight, which locals heavily rely on for water.

The tweet reflected a broader dissatisfaction among Pune residents with the local government’s management of various civic issues, ranging from traffic to pollution and urban planning. Another social media user chimed in on the conversation, criticizing the government’s negligence towards environmental and infrastructure problems in Pune, despite the high cost of living evidenced by soaring apartment prices.

As election campaigning intensifies, these local concerns are becoming pivotal in discussions, with candidates from various political parties promising to address and prioritize Pune’s environmental challenges if elected.