PMC begins work on Swargate underpass, will take a month

Commuters using the Swargate grade separator are advised to leave their homes or offices early for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun work on the underpass to smoothen the broken, often flooded road which will take about a month’s time, according to the civic body. For the past few months, commuters using the grade separator have been wary of riding their two-wheelers and not without reason, for the underpass approach road is always muddy and slippery with continuous seepage of water onto the carriageway.

Dr Ranjeet Kotkunde, who often travels to Swargate and uses the grade separator, said, “Ever since this underpass opened up, it was supposed to cut the travelling time but instead, it has slowed us down for there are constant water puddles and often, we have to slow down our vehicles so as to avoid skidding or falling.”

Architect Hrishikesh Patil, who lives on Sinhagad road and travels to the other side of the city for many of his projects, said, “I have complained on the ‘PMC cares’ app but there is no response. In reality, the design of the underpass is completely wrong and the water will keep on flowing inside in the absence of proper stormwater drainage.”

While there have been several complaints, the situation remains unchanged.

Abhijeet Ambekar, executive engineer, special projects, said, “Although this underpass was built and maintained by the MSRDC and they repaired it two years ago, the issue of water seepage is evidently still there. The special projects department has taken it up to find out where exactly the water seeps in. We have also planned to remove the asphalt and concretise the approach roads for smoother travel for daily users. For now, we are checking for leakage and seepage and feel that it could be for two reasons; either the water lines nearby have developed cracks or underground water lines are somehow broken. This entire process will take about a month and we request commuters to bear with us as we work on this road. Currently, we have opened half of the passageway for commuters to use.”