Pune: Storm Washes Away Patchy Road Work On Karve Road, Calls For Action Against Contractor

Citizens demand PMC to take strict action against contractor responsible for construction. 

11 May 2024

By Khushi Maheshwari 

On Friday, a ferocious thunderstorm greeted the city of Pune. While it provided relief from the sweltering, lethargy-inducing, long summer days, it also led to substantial losses in terms of trees and property. 

However, not everything can be pinned on the storm — some collapses happened on account of human error alone. One such incident took place adjacent to Garware College Metro station, Karve Road, near Amrut Mitra Mandal where the rain washed away the concrete poured over a drainage pipeline, leaving behind a huge gap in the road which can be a safety hazard. 

According to Prashant Velankar, member of the Erandwane Public Ganeshotsav Mandal, the work for laying down the pipeline had begun approximately one and a half months ago and was completed 15 days ago. “Yesterday the extremely heavy rainfall caused the footpath and concrete both to wash away,” he added. 

The patch of cement broke and washed away just after one heavy pour down, implying that it was done tardily. Erandwane Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal has demanded the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take immediate action against the contractor who is doing the work because there is a grave danger to those who travel by car, since they could easily miss the broken part of the road. The barricade indicating a break in the road was put up by Prashant in the morning around 7 or 8 am to prevent any accidents from taking place, and so far, no accidents have been reported. 

As of yet, the contractor responsible has been out of reach but appeals have been made to the local administration. 

The city was taken by the storm, quite literally leading to a lot of tree casualties. Countless trees were uprooted and collapsed on the road on Friday, causing disruptions in traffic. Moreover, the heavy rainfall has led to water logging in various parts of the city. Yet this is only an unseasonal  trailer before the long show of monsoon waiting to pour down on Puneris in the coming months.