Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has spent millions of rupees constructing pedestrian subways across the city to aid both pedestrians and drivers.
Despite this, these subways have fallen into disrepair, and their maintenance has been neglected. The result is subways plagued by issues such as parties by drunkards, filth, and the stench of stagnant water, deterring citizens from using them. This has raised questions about where the funds allocated for these facilities are being spent.
The PMC has invested 4-5 crore rupees to build pedestrian subways to allow safe road crossing and prevent accidents. Similar investments have been made for vehicular subways to ease traffic congestion at intersections.
Subways in areas such as Kothrud, Karvenagar, Jangli Maharaj Road, Satara Road, Nagar Road, Vishrantwadi, and Hadapsar are not being maintained. Issues include water leakage, uncollected garbage, non-functional lights leading to poor illumination, and general neglect of daily cleaning.
The responsibility for cleaning the subways lies with the PMC Ward offices, as delegated by the Municipal Commissioner. The electrical department within these offices is tasked with replacing broken lights, while the project department handles construction-related tasks such as waterproofing and painting.
However, disputes between these departments have resulted in no cleaning or maintenance work being carried out. The project department only sends correspondence to the regional offices, but no actual work gets done.
Ajay Vayse, Executive Engineer, Project Department said, "There are 15 pedestrian and vehicular subways in the city. A budget of one crore rupees is allocated for their maintenance, which includes waterproofing to stop leaks, painting, and repairing rusted parts. Cleaning is supposed to be managed by the regional offices. If work is not done, we get it done through contractors."
Karvenagar Subway Locked
In Karvenagar's main square, two subways are locked despite the PMC spending five crore rupees on them. The ceiling of these subways is damaged, rainwater accumulates, there is no electrical system, and they are filled with garbage.
Vehicles parked near the entrances create further access issues, and the subways are often occupied by drunkards. Security guards assigned to these subways are missing.
Neglect in Baner Area
Subways at Radha Chowk, Bitwise Chowk, and Nanaware Chowk in Baner are in disrepair. Radha Chowk subway suffers from waterlogging, causing inconvenience to drivers.
The subway at Sutarwadi on the highway also lacks proper drainage. There are no lights at Bitwise Chowk, causing accidents for two-wheelers due to the steel poles. Pedestrians have to walk through darkness due to the absence of lighting.
Garbage and Waterlogging in Viman Nagar
In Viman Nagar, subways are filled with garbage and stagnant water, becoming havens for homeless people. The steps are slippery, and water leaks persist.
Liquor bottles and gutka stains are common, and regular cleaning does not occur. The water pump is in disrepair, leading to foul odors from dead rodents. As a result, pedestrians avoid using the subways and risk crossing the road instead.
