G20 delegates get a smooth ride; residents want PMC to repair & concretize other roads too
The PMC has upgraded and beautified major parts of the city where delegates are expected to travel while hiding the unsightly parts with hoardings and other such
While citizens are delighted that major routes on which G20 delegates will travel – right from Lohegaon airport to Viman nagar, Nagar road and Senapati Bapat road – have been repaired, concretised and beautified by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) ahead of the G20 Summit on January 16 and 17, they are disappointed that the civic body has neglected to repair other roads in these areas which are in poor condition which are used by lakhs of commuters daily.
The PMC has upgraded and beautified major parts of the city where delegates are expected to travel while hiding the unsightly parts with hoardings and other such.
Vinod Pawar, local resident and secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) city wing, said, “We are proud that our country is hosting G20 meets in 2023 and that some of these are taking place in Pune, for which all departments of the PMC are working day and night. We reside in Vishrantwadi and daily, thousands of people travel from Lohegaon airport to Vishrantwadi road and Yerawada jail road. Both these roads are in the worse condition. Suddenly, we are seeing some of the roads from the airport repaired and spruced up however concretisation of these two roads has not still been carried out despite continuous demand from us over the past several years. Hence, we have submitted a letter of demand to the PMC commissioner to repair these roads as well.”
Sheetal Manasve, a resident, said, “I travel daily via the Yerawada jail road for work and it is full of potholes and there is always the risk of accidents. If the PMC has funds to repair and beautify other roads for the G20 Summit, it should also think of thousands of citizens who risk their lives on these roads and repair them immediately.”
Whereas a senior official of the PMC road department on condition of anonymity said, “Both these roads will be repaired but we have been instructed to focus on the routes on which G20 delegates will travel and repair them first on priority basis. Once the G20 meet is over, we will certainly repair the potholes and concretisation work will be carried out on both these roads.”