23 May,2011 06:44 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Unwilling to risk delays as rains near, Kothrud's posh Mahatma HSG society refuses civic body intervention, spends Rs 2.5 cr on roads and drainage system on premises
NOT willing to risk delays by relying on the civic body, an upmarket housing society in Kothrud decided to call the shots when it came to maintaining its roads and drainage system, and itself undertook these works.
Work in progress on a road in Mahatma Society a few days ago. The work of asphalting 5.5 km of roads in the society was completed between April 7 and May 20
Members of the Mahatma Society spent Rs 2.5 crore on repairing and asphalting their roads and constructing the storm water drainage line. Usually, these basic infrastructure works are taken care of by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Aiming to complete the works before the onset of the monsoon, the society decided not to take any help from the PMC or even the local corporator, Rajabhau Gorde.
The entire work of asphalting 5.5 km of roads was completed in a record time, between April 7 and May 20.
Mahatma Society chairperson Mangala Samant and its senior members also inaugurated the roads in the society without inviting any politicians.
"It was a crucial decision and was earlier passed with majority consent. We are a 36-year-old society, one of the oldest in the city after the Panshet flood struck Pune in 1961, and we are united.
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If we had allowed the PMC to lay the roads and the drainage system, other consequences would have come with it automatically.
We might have had to give space for shops and the issue of encroachments might have become worse," she said.
The decision was supported by society secretary Mahesh Gole, Dr K D Khedkar, estate officer Santosh Thombre and former chairman Ajay Kadam.
Speaking about the drainage system and storm water disposal works, Samant said the water would be diverted to a nearby nullah with the help of experts.u00a0
"It was totally the members' money and the big amount was withdrawn from the society corpus fund," she said.
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"Most of our members are working as engineers and they prefer to make the road and drainage as per their own standards. The society roads were asphalted with the latest DBM and DSBC technology."
Corporator Gorde of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) said he was not aware of this development, but stated that he had always found the people in the society supportive of initiatives.
"I have made an approach road to the society long ago," he said. Additional City Engineer (Roads), PMC, Vivek Kharwadkar said the civic body was always ready to do basic works.
Mahatma Society chairperson Mangala Samant
"If the PMC gives public amenities to a society, it is bound to give the relevant services as well.
We have given water supply provision to Mahatma Society and are willing to give road asphalting services too if the society is ready to throw its internal roads open to the public," Kharwadkar said.
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"One of its link roads, which is yet to be made, shall be done by the PMC soon."
Rs 14 cr spent on roads in two societies!
Shyam Deshpande, a Shiv Sena cororprator from Ward No. 108 at Dahanukar Colony in Kothrud, spent Rs 7 crore to lay Ultra Top White Tine (WTHT) cement roads in the colony. The money was spent from Deshpande's ward funds.
Another Shiv Sena corporator and MLA, Chandrakant Mokate, also spent the same amount for WTHT cement road in Kothrud gaon.
Reacting to this, Ujwal Keskar, a corporator from Happy Colony, said the money was spent on the wrong works as cement roads were not a requirement in these areas. "The money spent was a total waste," he said.
