Pune: Residents of Ghorpadi are exasperated with the apathetic attitude of the Pune Cantonment Board and the Pune Municipal Corporation towards repairing sewage and stormwater lines damaged during the construction of pillars for the ongoing railway overbridge work. The issue has been ignored for the last seven months, they said and added that rainwater and sewage water now flood the road, inconveniencing daily commuters and students.“There are seven schools, including one for special children, in the vicinity. They have to walk through muddy patches and dirty water every day. It has become a major concern and thousands suffer. However, the authorities just pass the buck to each other,” said Veena Satpute.In Aug last year, the corporation began the bridge work. A PCB official said some of the chambers of the sewage line were damaged by the contractor while constructing the pillars. “The non-disposal of sewage is causing health hazards in Faliwali Chawl and Ghorpadi Bazaar. Moreover, the existing stormwater line adjacent to Victoria Road is also damaged,” an official of PCB said.As per the memorandum of understanding signed between PCB and PMC in May 2024, the civic body will undertake the repairs and maintenance of the existing assets of PCB at their own cost, the official said. “However, despite raising the issue twice, PMC has not responded positively so far.” A senior official from PMC’s engineering department said, “We carried out a joint inspection of the area on Thursday. We will prepare a detailed proposal and will ask the contractor to do the necessary repair work on these lines.”Residents and activists raised questions ove why the authorities did not initiate the work before the monsoon.“It is a total failure of PCB and PMC. They could have surveyed before the monsoon and completed the work a few months ago. We have been suffering from the issue for the last seven months. We even approached them in the past, but nothing has been done on the ground. Now, they want to repair the lines during rain,” said Sanjay Kawade, an activist from Ghorpadi.Another resident Sanjay Pille said it is a disregard for the people’s health concerns. “How come PCB simply sits on the issue? Merely writing letters to PMC does not solve the problem. It should have strongly taken up the case with higher civic authorities. After all, we are suffering.” People said PCB failed to provide basic services. “Because of water accumulation, the vehicular movement on the stretch, which is extremely narrow, has been affected badly. Commuters spend at least half an hour in traffic congestion daily. It has become a nightmare for them,” said Pradip Pardeshi.
