₹22 crore down the drain in Pune as potholes emerge after rains
Potholes have emerged in parts of the city mainly due to the road digging work carried out by various agencies.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) claims that it has completed road repair work worth almost ₹22 crore before the monsoon as a precautionary measure to prevent potholes from developing on city roads. Even with rains lashing the city, the repair work to fill potholes in some areas of the city is still ongoing.
Rajendra Raut, PMC road department head, said that as compared to previous years, the road condition in Pune is much better. The PMC had done a lot of work to improve the city roads. Even as compared to other cities, the road condition in Pune is much better, he added.
He accepted that potholes have emerged in some parts of the city but it is mainly due to road digging work carried out by various agencies. Many agencies currently undertaking road digging work in the city. Once the road is dug, despite repairing it, proper bonding of roads is not possible and hence, potholes develop, he added.
“The road department had given instructions to all the officers to conduct an inspection and start work immediately to clear potholes. PMC has 12 vans which complete the pothole work. PMC is taking note of all the spots which are getting published in the newspapers as well,” he said.
Raut also said that some parts do not fall in the PMC limit. Mainly in adjoining areas, the road belongs to Public Works Department (PWD) and other agencies, but citizens blame PMC for the potholes.
Raut said that the PMC had spend ₹20 crore for resurfacing of 2 lakh square feet area in the city before the monsoon and ₹2 crore for 35,000 square feet, which are prone to potholes. PMC work is going on at the Ganesh Khind road, Satara road and old Mumbai Pune road, which is also adding trouble for the citizens, said Raut.