Viman Nagar residents express dissatisfaction over poor condition of footpaths

By: Pune Pulse

October 10, 2023

Pune: The residents of Viman Nagar have expressed their dissatisfaction with the poor condition of the footpaths in the area. Numerous difficulties have arisen, such as vehicles being parked on the footpaths and pedestrians being unable to walk properly. 

Speaking to Pune Pulse, Raja Subramani added, ”Footpaths, which are intended for pedestrian use, are often utilized by construction workers to park their vehicles and water tankers to access the society gates. This has resulted in damage to the footpaths and chamber covers. Furthermore, during traffic jams, bikers take advantage of the situation by riding on the footpaths, dislodging the paver blocks, and causing discomfort to pedestrians. As a result, pedestrians opt to walk on the roads instead of the footpaths. It is hoped that the Pune Traffic Police will take proactive measures to ensure that the footpaths are exclusively reserved for pedestrians.”

Qaneez Sukhrani, an activist added, ”Most of the footpaths are broken and pose a hazard to pedestrians. Consequently, the public is forced to walk on roads that are also dangerous due to potholes and vehicles, causing inconvenience to citizens. No proper construction standards are followed during the construction of footpaths. The condition of the footpaths is so poor that pedestrians are compelled to use the roads, thereby increasing the risk of accidents.” 

Speaking to Pune Pulse, Sahebrao Dandge, the Superintendent Engineer of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) stated, ”If the footpaths are in poor condition, efforts are made to promptly repair them. However, there are instances where other departments remove specific blocks to repair pipelines but fail to restore them, thereby deteriorating the condition of the footpaths.”

Madhupriya Dhanwate