Pune: Several key roads in the city have developed potholes months after being restored to international standards for the inaugural Grand Cycle Tour in Jan this year.The rapid deterioration has sparked an outcry from activists, who have demanded a comprehensive inspection of all routes repaired for the event.With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently announcing an additional budget of Rs167 crore for the second year of the event, activists have urged the civic body to “make public a detailed report of road repairs carried out in the first year” before committing more taxpayer money to the project.Reports of surface damage and potholes have emerged from major stretches that formed the circuit for the 2026 tour. Key transit points, including the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Balgandharva Rangamandir on JM Road, The Ladies Club in Camp, and Nanded City on Sinhagad Road, have all shown signs of significant wear and tear.Other affected areas include University Chowk, FC Road, Shaniwar Wada, and the National War Memorial, as well as busy junctions like Nal Stop, Seven Loves Chowk, and Golibar Maidan. This comes despite the PMC’s claim last year that nearly 200 speed breakers were removed and 400 chamber covers were levelled to ensure a “world-class” cycling surface.Ujwal Keskar, former leader of the opposition in the PMC, questioned the necessity of the new budget. “Do the roads repaired last year fall under the route for the second year? If they need resurfacing again, it suggests the previous contractors failed to deliver quality work. We need to know if this damage is covered under the defect liability period (DLP),” he said.Echoing these concerns, activist and former corporator Prashant Badhe urged the PMC to be transparent about the upcoming route. “We request the PMC to upload the map of the next tour route on its website. This will allow the public to verify the ground reality and monitor the quality of work being done,” Badhe said.When the event was first announced, PMC officials promised that “national and international standards” would be adopted to ensure smooth roads. To maintain quality, the civic body even implemented a “one project per contractor” rule.Defending the current state of roads, Aniruddha Pawaskar, PMC city engineer, said, “Due process was followed to ensure high-quality work last year. For the 2027 event, we aim to upgrade approximately 84km of new road stretches while maintaining the roads already improved in 2026.”Pawaskar added that the new Rs167 crore budget focuses on resurfacing, trench repairs, pedestrian infrastructure, and route beautification to keep the city “international event ready.” However, for the city’s commuters navigating the current potholes, those promises of “international standards” currently ring hollow.
