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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Residents demand restructuring in PMC drainage dept to curb blocked gutters, flooding amid rains
1 2 3 Pune: Residents of the city's east — including areas like Dhanori, Vishrantwadi, Yerwada, Nagar Road, and Wagholi — have complained to PMC regarding worsening drainage and waterlogging conditions in this zone during the ongoing monsoon. According to them, rainwater mixed with drainage overflow has been accumulating on roads, creating dangerous and unsanitary conditions. In many parts, it appears streams are flowing through the streets due to blocked rainwater lines. Amid growing public outcry, Dhananjay Jadhav, state secretary of the social group Maharashtra Swarajya Paksha, submitted a letter to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on June 13, urging immediate attention to these issues. The letter, officially acknowledged by PMC on June 16, points to serious administrative lapses by the drainage maintenance department. Jadhav stated, "Citizens are not receiving even the most basic services. Roads are dug up and left unrepaired. Some officials have been holding the same posts in this department for over a decade. This lack of rotation has resulted in inefficiency and monopoly." Residents of these areas pointed out that despite the availability of Rs200 crore in Central funds to PMC from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for flood mitigation and stormwater management, most of the related works remain incomplete. Citizens complained that the funds are not being properly utilised at critical locations, leaving them exposed to repeated flooding and health hazards. With roads dug up for drainage work left unattended for weeks, schoolchildren, senior citizens, and daily commuters face extreme inconvenience. "Each time it rains, roads in our area turn into lakes. The drains are blocked and sewage water flows alongside rainwater. This is not the standard we expect from a city like Pune," a resident of Yerwada told TOI. He added, "We demand restructuring within the drain department and reassignment of long-standing officers to bring in transparency and accountability." Pune: Residents of the city's east — including areas like Dhanori, Vishrantwadi, Yerwada, Nagar Road, and Wagholi — have complained to PMC regarding worsening drainage and waterlogging conditions in this zone during the ongoing monsoon. According to them, rainwater mixed with drainage overflow has been accumulating on roads, creating dangerous and unsanitary conditions. In many parts, it appears streams are flowing through the streets due to blocked rainwater lines. Amid growing public outcry, Dhananjay Jadhav, state secretary of the social group Maharashtra Swarajya Paksha, submitted a letter to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on June 13, urging immediate attention to these issues. The letter, officially acknowledged by PMC on June 16, points to serious administrative lapses by the drainage maintenance department. Jadhav stated, "Citizens are not receiving even the most basic services. Roads are dug up and left unrepaired. Some officials have been holding the same posts in this department for over a decade. This lack of rotation has resulted in inefficiency and monopoly." Residents of these areas pointed out that despite the availability of Rs200 crore in Central funds to PMC from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for flood mitigation and stormwater management, most of the related works remain incomplete. Citizens complained that the funds are not being properly utilised at critical locations, leaving them exposed to repeated flooding and health hazards. With roads dug up for drainage work left unattended for weeks, schoolchildren, senior citizens, and daily commuters face extreme inconvenience. "Each time it rains, roads in our area turn into lakes. The drains are blocked and sewage water flows alongside rainwater. This is not the standard we expect from a city like Pune," a resident of Yerwada told TOI. He added, "We demand restructuring within the drain department and reassignment of long-standing officers to bring in transparency and accountability."
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
PMC to start strengthening work on 60 bridges
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will soon begin strengthening work of around 60 bridges across the city, said officials on Monday. Bridge strengthening involves reinforcing existing bridges to improve their structural integrity and capacity, often to meet updated load requirements or repair damage. The PMC had already done the safety audit of the 98 bridges which include bridges on all the rivers, flyovers and railway over bridges in the city. Of the 98 bridges, strengthening work on 38 bridges has been completed in the first phase. The move comes after four people died and 51 were injured when an old narrow bridge over the River Indrayani near Talegaon in Pune district. Naval Kishore Ram, PMC commissioner, said, 'PMC has done strengthening work on 38 bridges. We will audit the remaining bridges and start strengthening work soon.' Sandip Patil, head, PMC planning department, said, 'Two years ago we did the safety audit of all the bridges. We have even carried out the strengthening work of some bridges which are essential in the first phase. We will now undertake the second phase very soon.' Back in 2017 after the collapse of another bridge on the Savitri River in Mahad, PMC had presented the report of a structural audit conducted last year of the seven bridges built during the British era. Shrikant Gaikwad, PMC engineer, said, 'The work was done at the cost of ₹12.48 crore.' The PMC had divided the bridges into two categories which include heritage bridges that were over constructed before 1952 and those built after 1952. Some bridges are very old in Pune which include Lakadi Bridge, Shivaji Bridge, Bund Garden Bride and Holkar Bridge. PMC had closed the Bund Garden bridge for traffic movement and only kept it open for pedestrians.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
PMC's e-office system adoption remains slow, only 15 of 60 depts use it
1 2 Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)'s e-office system, launched to digitise file management and speed up work, is moving at a snail's pace with only 20% of the 60 departments adopting it since its launch in Jan 2023. Activists have blamed the delay on civic officials' lethargy, suggesting that they resisted transparency that the system offered. Only 15 out of 60 departments and sub-departments have started using the online system, despite PMC investing around Rs 50 lakh. The system was supposed to be implemented by June 20. PMC officials said the e-office system was adopted to streamline workflows, cut paperwork and boost decision-making speed. "It enables digital documentation, approval tracking and inter-departmental collaboration, aiming to increase efficiency and transparency in municipal administration," an official said. The official said the administration was speeding up the implementation. "Training at the head of department levels are being given to clarify doubts and ease the system's implementation," the official said. PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has ordered its expansion across all departments and ward offices, saying, "The system should start across the departments. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like USDJPY đang đi lên không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo It should also be implemented at the ward offices." A senior civic official said PMC has initiated steps to incorporate e-sign technology, allowing officials to digitally sign and approve documents securely. "This will further enhance document management by eliminating the need for physical signatures, accelerating approvals and fostering paperless governance," the official said. The activists said civic officials were deliberately going slow on the system's implementation. "Some civic officials have vested interests in delaying the works. If the system starts tracking their work, they will be held accountable for any delays," Sanjay Shitole of Pune City Eye, a citizens' group, said. "If an automated system is introduced, citizens will not need to visit the civic office every now and then for tracking their works. The civic staff members, who misuse their discretionary powers, were reluctant to use it," said Santosh Deshmukh, a resident of Shivajinagar. BIG FUTURE PLANS TO EASE WORKING PMC plans to implement SPARROW (Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window), a digital system for employee performance appraisals, ensuring timely and transparent evaluations within the civic body The civic administration has also rolled out the SAP-ERP system, which brings together financial management, procurement, inventory tracking and document management on single platform This system streamlines vendor payments, budget control and asset tracking, boosting efficiency across departments Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sule questions crores spent on rain preparedness
Pune: Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Friday said the state govt spends crores of rupees on pre-monsoon preparedness, but roads in big cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur get choked with water even if it rains slightly — raising questions over the quality of works. She held a meeting with Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on Friday to discuss the city's various issues — including waterlogging, traffic congestion and other infrastructural matters. Sule spoke to reporters after the meeting and said, "Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims to have spent crores of rupees on pre-monsoon preparedness. Why are the roads waterlogged then amid slight rain? It is not just Pune, but cities like Mumbai, Nashik and Nagpur are facing the same problem. The state govt promotes urbanisation, but needs to study the concept of development scientifically." She also raised the issue of dilapidated wadas in Pune. She demanded the govt come out with a solution and not wait for mishaps to happen. The Baramati MP highlighted the issue of traffic congestion in the Khadakwasla area. "The neighbourhood faces two major issues at present — traffic congestion and unclean water. We have been demanding that PMC, PMRDA and irrigation department address the water contamination issue in Khadakwasla, but there is no progress, so far. Even the traffic situation is deteriorating," she added. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
As Cong seeks curbs on permissions for new constructions, PMC chief says ‘Will bring fundamental changes to improve citizens' lives'
EVEN as the Congress urged Pune Municipal Corporation to put curbs on new constructions in congested parts of the city, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said he was currently looking into problems faced by the city and will soon introduce fundamental changes aimed at easing the lives of Puneites. 'I have just taken charge… Currently, I am busy studying the problems the city is facing. Once I have studied the problems, I intend to bring in fundamental changes to better the lives of citizens,' the PMC chief said on Sunday evening. Ram was responding to a demand raised by the Congress in a letter to PMC, urging it to put curbs on giving permissions to new constructions in congested parts of the city, where adequate infrastructure was missing. 'I went around the city today. Though it was Sunday, there were traffic snarls on congested and narrow roads of the city. During the inspection, I found that only 16 per cent of the stormwater drain work has been completed. It seems PMC is lagging on ensuring adequate basic amenities,' he said. Ram said after studying the problems in the city, he would take all necessary steps to alleviate miseries of people. 'I will study all the suggestions and feedback I get from citizens… And will initiate necessary steps, especially in regard to ensuring basic amenities, including proper stormwater drains, parking facilities, good roads and a better garbage disposal system,' he said. In its letter sent to the PMC chief, the Congress emphasised improving basic infrastructure in the city. The party has urged the commissioner to take strong steps to make life better for citizens. 'We would like to draw the attention of the new PMC commissioner to the absence of adequate and efficient basic infrastructure in the congested parts of Pune city. Roads are narrow, storm water drains get choked even after just one heavy deluge, traffic snarls are common, parking problem has become a big headache… you name it and the citizens in the congested and old parts of the city are grappling with inadequate basic infrastructure,' said Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari. The Congress said it was expecting positive steps from the PMC chief. 'We have sent a letter to the PMC commissioner highlighting the problems faced by the citizens in congested parts of the city. We expect that he will initiate positive steps in this regard,' Tiwari said. 'The population of Pune city is increasing day by day and the pressure of additional external growth areas is also coming on the PMC. Traffic congestion and parking issues are becoming severe day by day. But the PMC without applying its mind is indiscriminately giving permission to multi-storeyed buildings up to 25-30 floors. Additional FSIs and TDRs are on a roll. But roads below the towering buildings have not been widened for 50 years. Be it Ghole Road, Apte Road, Bhandarkar Road, Prabhat Road, the situation is similar everywhere in congested parts of the city. The roads are not in a position to take the increasing load of traffic. The storm water drains are inadequate…. and the PMC chief should take steps to first curb permissions for new constructions,' said Tiwari, who is also the founder of the Rajiv Gandhi Smarak Samiti. Tiwari said the Development Plan or Town Plan needs to be revised. 'There is a need to revise the DP and TP so that they are framed taking into consideration the changing times. Especially, there is need to reserve ample parking space for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. If this is done, Pune City will become a chaotic city. Strong steps are needed now. There should be no compromise on this front,' he said. Tiwari said the PMC Standing Committee still exists though and an elected body is not in place. There is an 'Audit Sub-Committee' and audit reports of the work of various civic departments are placed before the Standing Committee which takes a decision on it. 'It is a necessary for the people of Pune to understand what action has been taken on the audit reports of the last three years,' he said. Manoj More has been working with the Indian Express since 1992. For the first 16 years, he worked on the desk, edited stories, made pages, wrote special stories and handled The Indian Express edition. In 31 years of his career, he has regularly written stories on a range of topics, primarily on civic issues like state of roads, choked drains, garbage problems, inadequate transport facilities and the like. He has also written aggressively on local gondaism. He has primarily written civic stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki, Maval and some parts of Pune. He has also covered stories from Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar and Latur. He has had maximum impact stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial city which he has covered extensively for the last three decades. Manoj More has written over 20,000 stories. 10,000 of which are byline stories. Most of the stories pertain to civic issues and political ones. The biggest achievement of his career is getting a nearly two kilometre road done on Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki in 2006. He wrote stories on the state of roads since 1997. In 10 years, nearly 200 two-wheeler riders had died in accidents due to the pathetic state of the road. The local cantonment board could not get the road redone as it lacked funds. The then PMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi took the initiative, went out of his way and made the Khadki road by spending Rs 23 crore from JNNURM Funds. In the next 10 years after the road was made by the PMC, less than 10 citizens had died, effectively saving more than 100 lives. Manoj More's campaign against tree cutting on Pune-Mumbai highway in 1999 and Pune-Nashik highway in 2004 saved 2000 trees. During Covid, over 50 doctors were asked to pay Rs 30 lakh each for getting a job with PCMC. The PCMC administration alerted Manoj More who did a story on the subject, asking then corporators how much money they story worked as doctors got the job without paying a single paisa. Manoj More has also covered the "Latur drought" situation in 2015 when a "Latur water train" created quite a buzz in Maharashtra. He also covered the Malin tragedy where over 150 villagers had died. Manoj More is on Facebook with 4.9k followers (Manoj More), on twitter manojmore91982 ... Read More
