PMC urged to repair road stretches not part of cycling event

Pune: Daily commuters are unhappy over the poor condition of several roads that were not part of the cycling event held last month and have urged the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take up repair work on those stretches on priority.The civic body repaired and resurfaced about 75-km roads across the city ahead of the event. Among these were key stretches such as JM Road, FC Road, SB Road, University Road, Karve Road and Tilak Road.
Commuters said the civic administration did not give adequate attention towards maintenance of other roads.Swapnil Patil, who often goes to Shivajinagar, said many roads still give bumpy rides because of uneven surface and drainage chamber lids. "It is good that the administration repaired key roads, but what about other roads which are used by a significant number of people every day." A stretch from FC Road towards Model Colony needs urgent attention, Patil said. "Similarly, Lakaki Road, which connects Ganeshkhind Road to SB Road, was not repaired properly. There are a lot of patchworks and deep chamber lids, causing problems for bikers," he added.Mahesh Ladkat, who takes the road near Pune railway station, said potholes on several stretches cause hardships. "The administration should level the chambers on all roads." Ladkat pointed to a stretch near RTO, saying the patchwork done a few months ago started to come out. "The drainage chambers are also not matching the road surface. There are gaps between the road and footpaths. We suggest PMC carry out a survey of all road stretches," he said.Officials from PMC's road department said a target to repair at least 50 chamber lids per week was set in a recently held meeting, in addition to levelling of carriageways. "A review of road works was held recently. The local units and deputy engineers from all areas have been asked to begin repair work," an official said.Residents from newly merged areas said they wanted the administration to select roads from their localities for the cycling event, which would have led to their repairs. Sagar Satav from Manjari Road said, "Many roads lack regular maintenance. Widening work has been pending for a long time as well." Civic officials said all the road stretches that were repaired for the cycling event would be maintained by contractors and PMC.