Pune Ganeshotsav procession routes in the city’s central areas were inspected jointly by the Pune Municipal Corporation and police on Thursday, with officials directing departments to complete road, drainage, footpath and excavation-related work before the festival begins.
The inspection was conducted as preparations accelerated for Ganeshotsav, when large crowds gather in central Pune to watch processions and visit public displays and Ganesh mandals. The review was held under the chairmanship of Kasba MLA Hemant Rasane and covered areas within the Kasba and Vishrambaug ward offices.
PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other officials participated in the inspection. The route review began at the Kasba Ganpati temple and included Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road, Bhau Rangari Ganpati, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Kelkar Road, Pasodya Vithoba Temple, Sonya Maruti Temple, Someshwar Temple, Ranka Jewellers, Maharana Pratap Road, Kasturi Chowk, Jain Temple, Naik Hospital and the Phadke police outpost.
The inspection also covered Seva Mitra Mandal, Mandai Ganpati, the Dagdusheth Ganpati display, Guruji Talim, Laxmi Road and Puram Chowk. Officials reviewed potholes, incomplete road excavations, drainage problems, obstructions on pedestrian footpaths and traffic arrangements along the routes.
According to the report, officials noted that several roads used for processions still had potholes and that some stretches were in poor condition. Relevant departments were instructed to address the problems before the festival. The civic administration also directed the power utility and departments providing essential services to plan the restoration of roads dug up for their work.
Officials asked that new road excavations during the festival period be avoided wherever possible. Existing and delayed excavation work was to be completed quickly, after which the affected roads were to be levelled. The roads department was also told not to treat repairs as complete merely on the basis of paperwork, but to conduct physical inspections and verify the quality of the work.
The joint inspection places road readiness and pedestrian access among the immediate municipal tasks ahead of the festival. The authorities’ instructions require the concerned departments to complete pending works, restore excavated stretches and verify repair quality before large processions and visitor movement begin in central Pune.
