Pune Municipal Corporation undertakes historical and aesthetic restoration work of the city’s Zero Stone

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has undertaken historical and aesthetic restoration work of city’s Zero Stone, a heritage landmark, after it being neglected for decades.

On Monday, PMC carried out the groundbreaking ceremony of the restoration work that will include widening of the footpath and creation of public space outside the general post office (GPO), on Sadhu Vaswani Mission road.

Hindustan Times has been repeatedly highlighting the need to restore and protect the Zero Stone heritage structure through a series of reports.

Initiated by Arvind Shinde, senior Congressman and leader of the opposition in PMC, the work is being carried out as a part of his ward development endeavours. Shinde has approved Rs 37.35 lakh for the project. The restoration is expected to be complete within three months. 

“Pune is a historic city and it is our duty to preserve the heritage. Although work has been delayed, now we will restore it in such a way that tourists and students will visit the spot regularly,” said Shinde.

Over the decades, lack of attention from the civic body had left the Zero Stone in a bad state. More than a year ago, Zero Stone was half-buried under the pavement amid garbage piling nearby. Roadside vendors had also started using the spot to store their sundry items.

Zero Stone marks the point from where distance is measured between cities. It is, thus, the oldest milestone of the city.

Following a series of reports by Hindustan Times, the initiative gathered momentum with Murlidhar Mohol, a former standing committee chairman, taking a keen interest in the restoration of the historically important structure.