Pune : Sahakar Nagar Citizens Forum Calls on Residents to Contribute for Enhanced Access to Local Social Spaces
By: Pune Pulse
September 4, 2023
Pune: The Sahakar Nagar Citizens’ Forum has encouraged Sahakar Nagar residents to contribute their bit to ensure opening or easy access for residents to public & social places.
Speaking to Pune Pulse, Amit Abhyankar, Founder member of Sahakar Nagar Citizens Forum said, “Several social & public places have been built in Sahakar Nagar for residents, however, these places, though built, haven’t been accessible or open for the general public in Sahakar Nagar. Thus, for these very places to become accessible to people, we are requesting the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to make these places open. After several requests, some social places have been agreed to be open to the public on a rental basis. So, Sahakar Nagar residents are requested to contribute some amount from their part to make these public places open.”
As per further information by Amit Abhyankar, the total rental amount for these social places is Rs 36000 per year i.e. Rs 3000 per month. Therefore, if Sahakarnagar citizens could contribute only a small amount, that would be enough. The contractors get the public spaces for citizens at very low rates and then they use those spaces for commercial purposes and make a profit.
It has been decided in the very initial meeting that the Sahakar Nagar Citizens’ Forum should do something about this and accordingly, some of the activists started working. After following up for more than 1 year, it was brought to the attention of the authorities that some places were not even registered in the Municipal Corporation office but were built with taxpayers’ money and proposed that Sahakarnagar Citizens’ Forum itself would rent such space from the Municipal Corporation and open it for the citizens.
These efforts, which have been going on for the last one year, have been successful and the Municipal Corporation has approved to give 2 public places to us.
Programs that can be held in these public places:
· Cultural and social programs of citizens
· Gatherings of citizens
· Workshops for children
· Sports and Art Training Classes
· Meetings, etc
Sahakar Nagar Citizens’ Forum has called upon the people of Sahakarnagar to do their part to make public and social places accessible for everyone & run smoothly.
