As the rain took a break in Pune on Saturday morning, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) said that it had filled up as many as 1,800 potholes, or 88 per cent of the potholes in its jurisdiction, at a cost of Rs 1 crore – an amount it fears could go up in the coming days.

For over a month or so, the civic administration had been under fire from citizens, activists and politicians for the poor quality of roads posing a threat to the lives of citizens. Citizens have been demanding that PCMC appoint quality contractors who will ensure better quality roads that do not endanger their lives.

“The work of filling up potholes and craters is underway. Before June 1, there were 529 potholes across the city. After June 1, when it started raining on and off, the potholes continued to increase. In our survey, we noticed that potholes were spread across the city, including the arterial roads. The tarred roads, especially, had more potholes than the cement concrete roads,” PCMC City Engineer Makrand Nikam told The Indian Express.

The PCMC road department has put out figures of how the potholes and craters have been filled up. While some potholes have been filled using ‘cold mix’ technology and some with paver blocks, the highest number of potholes, 773, have been filled using WMM or wet mix macadam technology.

Nikam said it took time to fill the potholes due to the continuous rains. “We need a long dry spell so that pothole filling work can be carried out to last long. If it rained, the possibility of the material getting (washed) away is high,” he pointed out.

Nikam also cited difficulties in filling the potholes. “For example, in the Chikhali area, some of the roads are in the possession of PCMC. Here, people tried to block our work. Also, in some areas, underground cable work is underway. In these areas, we cannot fill up potholes until the work is completed. Besides this, we have also planned to convert tarred roads to concrete ones and that is why we did not carry out any pothole filling work,” he explained.

So far, Nikam said, they have spent over Rs 1 crore for carrying out the repairs. “We do not have to spend on repairing all roads. Some contractors have to do the pothole filling work free of cost as per the deficit liability clause of their contract. In cases, where the contractors are not at fault, we do the needful,” he said.

Criticising the civic administration for neglecting the state of roads in the industrial city, former corporator Seema Savale said, “Potholes develop because PCMC does not ensure better quality of roads. When water gets accumulated on tarred roads, the tar gets washed away and it results in potholes and craters. To avoid such cases, PCMC needs to set up storm water lines and provide drainage lines along the roads. However, this aspect is grossly neglected. As a result, roads are falling apart and the lives of motorists and two-wheeler riders continue to be under threat.”

Savale said that during the PCMC general body meetings and even at other meetings with officials, they had pointed out the need to provide better quality of roads to citizens and the need to set up storm water drains. “But the administration continues to neglect this key area,” she alleged.

The worst affected roads, said Savale, are the ones in Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari MIDC area. “The road infrastructure in the MIDC area is supposed to be looked after by PCMC. However, the civic body has failed to take care of the MIDC roads. It has failed to construct storm water drains. As a result, rain water and nullah water flows on the roads, leading to water-logging and breakdown of the roads,” she said.

Another former corporator, Rahul Kalate, said that in the Wakad area as most of the roads have been concretised, there are fewer potholes. “But on the main roads in Punawale and Tathawade, potholes and craters had become the order of the day during the heavy rains. Now the work of filling up the potholes in Punawale is underway but in Tathawade, since the main road is not in possession of PCMC, it continues to be a nightmare for road users,” Kalate said.

“In most parts of Bhosari, potholes are a common sight, including on the Pune-Nashik Highway,” said activist Sachin Godame. “In Bhosari’s PMT Chowk and Landewadi Chowk, some road work is underway and as a result, traffic jams have become the order of the day,” Godame added.

Activist Maruti Bhapkar pointed out that the PCMC has undertaken underground cable work in the Mohananagar and Chinchwad areas even during the rain. “Because of this, roads are in bad shape. There was no need for the PCMC to undertake such work during the rains but the administration seems to be bent upon it,” Bhapkar said.

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