As the monsoon draws near, mounting anger is being directed at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) by residents of Nagar Road, who have raised alarms over large-scale trenching work left incomplete and unmonitored across public roads and footpaths.
The civic body now faces stiff public scrutiny over what citizens are calling a failure in both planning and accountability.The Association of Nagar Road Citizens Forum has issued a formal demand for transparency from PMC and the Maharashtra State Government. The group has questioned why blanket trenching permissions were granted to infrastructure contractor Dinesh Engineers without clear timelines for road reinstatement or clarity on which agency bears the cost and responsibility for repairs. Their concern is not only about civic inconvenience but growing risks to public safety as heavy rains approach.
The controversy stems from an official PMC letter (Ref: 12893, dated February 7, 2025), which authorised widespread trenching. However, the letter reportedly omits key details—such as completion deadlines, reinstatement schedules, and the composition or frequency of oversight committees. This lack of information has prompted fears of open trenches, loose gravel, and damaged roadways becoming serious hazards during the monsoon season.
Local residents argue that the roads have been left in an unusable and unsafe condition for weeks, with no communication on when or how they will be restored. The Forum has also questioned whether necessary No Objection Certificates (NOCs) were obtained from the Traffic Police before digging began. With multiple stretches along Nagar Road now dug up, even footpaths are blocked, impacting pedestrians and school-going children.Further intensifying their concerns, the Citizens Forum pointed to two Public Interest Litigations (PIL Nos. 88 and 141 of 2023) currently pending before the Bombay High Court, which highlight broader issues around unsafe and unregulated civic work in the city. The group has attached photo evidence of poor road conditions and incomplete trenching to support its claims.
In its formal communication, the Forum demanded that PMC publicly release several critical documents, including a copy of resolution no. 6/1231 (dated February 7, 2025), detailed route modification plans submitted by the contractor, the official agreement between PMC and Dinesh Engineers, and minutes of monitoring committee meetings. These documents, the group argues, are essential to assess whether due diligence was followed.The matter has now been escalated to the state level, with emails sent to Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Ministers and Chief Minister, seeking immediate intervention. Residents insist that trench reinstatement must be completed before May 31, 2025, to prevent what they describe as an “avoidable danger to public life.”
Beyond the safety concerns, the issue has reignited conversations around the need for sustainable and well-coordinated urban infrastructure management in Pune. Citizens believe that such unregulated projects undermine the quality of public spaces and compromise the city’s environmental resilience.
With mounting pressure, PMC will likely be forced to respond with clarity and action. Whether the administration will meet the looming deadline remains to be seen, but the message from residents is clear—Pune deserves safe, walkable, and responsibly maintained roads.
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