Monsoon menace, MiD DAY Campaign: Week 3, Day 5

Residents of Seven Loves chowk complain of drains that are overflowing with sewage, shoddy roadwork by the authorities and water-logging during monsoon

Residents of Seven Loves chowk complain of drains that are overflowing with sewage, shoddy roadwork by the authorities and water-logging during monsoonu00a0
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Though classified as minor problems by the civic corporation, water-logging and uneven roads during rains have become major headaches for people living along the Golibar Maidan to Seven Loves Chowk road. What's worse, these problems are routinely ignored by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials.

Every year the PMC do a shoddy work of filling up the potholes near Dhobi Ghat, as a temporary solution. However, the holes that develop on the road after the temporary bitumen (tar) work are ignored and lead to a lot of accidents during monsoon, residents said.

To access the situation, deputy engineer (roads) Subhash Pavra and a few other officers accompanied MiD DAY on their inspection and found three spots that needed immediate attention.

Survey Results and proposed solution

Near Dhobi Ghat
Problem: Two potholes on this road were filled up a few days ago. However, residents complained this was a temporary solution, as every monsoon potholes would develop at the same spot. In fact, they said that these potholes caused a number of accidents each year.

PMC's promise: PMC said that as a permanent solution the entire stretch of road would be concretised. The work would begin after the rains abated.

Below Seven Loves Chowk flyoveru00a0
Problem: This spot is known to be flooded each time it rains. The storm water drainage chambers are covered with cement grills instead of iron ones and the accumulated waste choke them up preventing water from flowing inside. Besides, the nallah that runs alongside the road is full of muck and needs to cleaned.

PMC's promise: Cleaning work for the nallahs would begin in a couple of days. The cement grills cannot be replaced as iron grills are stolen but the blockage would be cleared.

Mitthapali Corner
Problem: Firstly, the road was dug up to lay some cables. But, a part of the dug-up road was not levelled. Not only does it cause water-logging but also poses a risk to bikers who lose their balance while taking a turn. Besides, water-logging also causes breeding of mosquitoes.

PMC's promise: The hole on the road would be levelled with bitumen. The problem of water-logging can be solved by creating a small canal on the side of road and the work for both would start soon.