Pune: PMC’s claims of successful road repairs have been exposed as hollow, with potholes resurfacing across the city after just a few days of rain. Commuters and activists have questioned the quality of restoration work, alleging that the administration is using substandard materials and neglecting basic engineering standards.In response to the growing crisis, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) standing committee on Thursday approved the diversion of Rs114 crore for road construction and repairs. An additional ₹14 crore was sanctioned for the direct procurement of bitumen from oil companies to bypass ongoing supply shortages.Despite the visible deterioration on the ground, the PMC’s road department maintains that its July maintenance drive—conducted in coordination with local ward offices—was highly effective. Official data claims that out of 1,188 identified potholes, 1,134 (95.45%) were successfully repaired, leaving only 54 pending issues. The department reported using various methods for these repairs, including 2,088 square metres of hot mix asphalt for major resurfacing and 634 square metres of cold mix for quick fixes. Additionally, 162 waterlogged locations were reportedly cleared to prevent further erosion.However, political leaders and civic activists have dismissed these statistics as an “eyewash.”“Potholes are being filled overnight and layers of asphalt are being laid in the pouring rain just for show,” said Ramchandra Kadam, Congress leader in PMC. “We have a direct question for the municipal commissioner: Do Punekars pay taxes all year round simply to drive through life-threatening potholes? There is no quality testing, and work is being rushed in the dark without monitoring asphalt temperatures. We demand an immediate third-party audit.”Vivek Velankar of the citizens’ group Sajag Nagrik Manch echoed these concerns, calling the PMC’s claims a “mockery” of the public. “Senior officials need to leave their offices, go on the ground, and face the reality of these roads,” Velankar said.Residents have also pointed to a lack of planning. Chinmay Joshi, a resident of Katraj, noted that road-digging continued well into the monsoon season. “Pre-monsoon works should have been completed months ago. Now, they are digging roads under the guise of ‘emergency works,’ creating a nightmare for commuters,” he said.Internal issues within the PMC have further hampered repairs. Officials admitted that a shortage of tar and the breakdown of the civic batch mix plant in Yerawada—the primary source of repair material—had stalled progress.Addressing the criticism, Rajesh Bankar, head of the PMC’s road department, said, “We are coordinating closely with local ward offices to resolve the pothole issues as quickly as possible. Teams have been deployed across all civic areas to ensure the speedy disposal of complaints.”Activists, however, are not satisfied with promises and have demanded that the state government launch a formal probe into the tenders worth crores issued for these recurring repairs.
