90% of manholes defy norms at Nagar Road
ByVijay ChavanVijay Chavan / Updated: Jul 15, 2021, 06:00 IST
Despite the strict order by the
Bombay High Court in June 2018 asking all civic bodies to ensure manholes are corrected and fitted with metal nets and grating, the
Pune Municipal Corporation (
PMC) seems to have turned a blind eye towards the order. The order was meant to ensure the safety of commuters, and that people don’t fall into open drains during the monsoons it was the outcome of the tragic death of Dr Deepak Amrapurkar from Mumbai who had fallen into a manhole.
However, the
road department of PMC has clearly not taken the court order seriously as several roads in the city continue to have uneven and broken manholes with broken or missing ductile iron gratings.
Reopen Ramwadi underpass: Locals
They said route was shut for
Pune Metro work but all labourers fled due to pandemic; say unnecessary detours can be avoided
For the last 10 days, the
Ramwadi underpass on Nagar Road, which connects Kalyani Nagar and
Viman Nagar and also serves as an alternative route to reach
Pune airport, has been shut and this closure is likely to go on for at least six more months, authorities have declared, thanks to Pune Metro work slated by
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (
MahaMetro) at the spot.
However, it turns out that there is absolutely no sign of work on site at the moment because most of the workers have fled to their native place in view of the strict COVID-19 restrictions being imposed by the state government and
6-year-old Ramwadi underpass cracked
PMC for compromising on safety in its pursuit of cheapest options during tendering
The product of an eight-year legal struggle and an investment of Rs 25 crore, the Ramwadi
underpass on Pune-Ahmednagar Road linking Viman Nagar and Kalyani Nagar was slated to decongest traffic on the New Airport Road and Kalyani Nagar. But six years since its opening, it has turned into a hazardous passage for motorists, with its roof and walls leaking and concrete chipping off the ceiling’s slab.
Most users of this critical linkway are now mortally scared of it, having encountered the dripping ceiling mid-summer that has rendered the path slippery, and visible cracks looming. Despite the long lull in traffic through the lockdown, the underpass has already reported 12 accidents in the past one year.