Commute worsens as road construction drags on for over a year

Pune: The construction of 1.5 km concrete road from Vishrantwadi to Airport Road Chowk started by a contractor in January 2024 is incomplete and the part completed has already shown cracks. Even as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has given the project to another contractor, the delay has left commuters to face inconvenience.

The road has been dug up again after an inspection done by the PMC experts’ committee found the work faulty.

Even before its completion, the road showed cracks, exposing the substandard quality of construction.

“Only 80% of the concrete work on the main road from Vishrantwadi to Airport Road has been completed. However, seven slabs of the newly constructed stretch have already been removed for repairs due to poor quality,” said Vinod Pawar, a local resident.

“Despite an expenditure of ₹19 crore on the concrete work, a report from the expert committee has recommended road repairs, submitted to PMC chief engineer Aniruddha Pavaskar. It shows the waste of taxpayers’ money. We have demanded the contractor to be blacklisted for substandard work,” he said.

“We are facing dust and traffic issues on this stretch for more than a year. Why should a 1.5 km road construction take so much time? And then it develops cracks before it is even completed?” said Shobhana Gandhi, another citizen.

Rohidas Devde, deputy engineer, PMC road department, “As per the PMC consultants’ report, two places measuring 3.5 metres by 4 metres have developed deep cracks, and the new contractor has been instructed to repair it. The roadwork is yet to be completed.”