Pune Struggles With Potholes As Road Mitra App Receives Complaints
Pune’s worsening pothole crisis has left commuters battling treacherous roads, frequent accidents, and long delays, particularly during the monsoon. Residents across key neighbourhoods say repeated complaints to the civic body have brought little relief, even as new hazards emerge daily. While the Pune Municipal Corporation has launched its Road Mitra app to address grievances within 70 hours, scepticism remains over whether digital tools can solve a deep-rooted and dangerous urban safety issue.
Locals from neighbourhoods including Karve Nagar, Kharadi, Fursungi, and Mahalunge have described roads that resemble waterlogged trenches more than public infrastructure. Two-wheeler riders have been forced to navigate slippery, pothole-riddled surfaces, while pedestrians contend with broken footpaths and splashes from passing vehicles. Several incidents of skidding and minor collisions have been reported in the past week, with residents warning that more serious tragedies are inevitable without urgent repairs.Frequent commuters, including daily wage earners and delivery workers, say the economic impact is significant. Delivery timelines have been affected, resulting in income losses, while the constant jarring rides have led to increasing complaints of back pain among those who travel these stretches daily. The civic body’s inaction, locals argue, signals a deeper neglect of public safety.
Particularly dangerous hotspots include the Saswad Road stretch near Bhairavnath Complex, where water leakage from nearby shops exacerbates the slippery surface year-round, and the industrial corridors near Mahalunge, where heavy trucks compound road damage. Residents allege that their complaints, often backed by photographic evidence on social media, are met with formal acknowledgment but little on-ground progress.In response to the growing outcry, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently launched the Road Mitra mobile application to centralise pothole-related grievances. Officials from the road department confirmed that within hours of the app’s launch, 47 complaints were registered. As per PMC protocols, each complaint must be addressed within 70 hours, a target that will test the civic body’s repair efficiency during the peak of the rainy season.
Experts note that while digital grievance platforms can streamline complaint handling, the root of the problem lies in the city’s outdated road construction methods, insufficient drainage systems, and weak accountability measures. Without addressing these structural issues, they warn, new potholes will emerge faster than they can be repaired.As Pune attempts to position itself as a sustainable and liveable urban hub, its road safety crisis underscores the urgent need for integrated solutions that blend robust engineering with responsive governance. For many residents, the hope is not just for temporary patchwork fixes but for long-term, climate-resilient infrastructure that makes daily commutes safer and less stressful.
