A sub‑post office inaugurated in Baner in September 2023 has remained practically unreachable nearly 21 months later due to non-existent access infrastructure, reflecting deeper shortcomings in civic responsibility. Despite being established to serve the rapidly expanding Baner and Balewadi neighbourhoods, the postal facility remains stranded at the end of a muddy, incomplete service road that even post office staff find difficult to navigate.
The route from the gated Saidatta Residency to the office features paved blocks congested with parked vehicles, abruptly giving way to a slushy, uneven stretch aggravated during monsoon spells. One resident recounted a visitor nearly slipping while returning from the office, underscoring the hazard posed by the neglected pathway. The senior citizens’ recreation centre, also housed on the same site, further highlights the irony: access for elderly users is even more compromised. Residents also highlight missing directional signage, with the solitary board blown away in recent rains and later discovered discarded behind the society gate. Entry rules posted by the housing society create confusion, deterring public access—even though the plot belongs to the municipal corporation. Visitors unfamiliar with the layout risk getting lost or, worse, avoiding the facility altogether.
Postal staff report similar problems. A complaint officer noted the difficulty of riding two‑wheelers on the stretch, with regular skidding reported. Meetings with civic officials have yielded no resolution, despite repeated attempts to highlight the safety and access issues. An assistant municipal commissioner confirmed that the approach road was only temporarily repaired when the facility served as a polling centre during recent elections. A permanent fix is anticipated in the upcoming municipal budget. He added that boards restricting access by societies on government land are illegal and promised a replacement signboard within two days.
Urban infrastructure analysts say this incident is symptomatic of a broader issue: public facilities located on civic land must come with assured access pathways as part of inclusive urban planning. They argue that failure to deliver basic connectivity undermines both public service utility and residents’ trust. With its growing population and civic infrastructure demands, Pune must ensure that site selection for public amenities goes hand‑in‑hand with delivery of access roads, parking and navigational signage. In Baner, the current situation speaks volumes of a mismatch between civic service ambition and execution on ground.
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