Pune: The death of a 69-year-old man after falling into a poorly barricaded road trench in Yerawada on Sunday has sparked widespread outrage, with mounting demands for strict criminal action, including a culpable homicide case, against the contractor and officials responsible for the unsafe public works.Pradeep Laxman Pardeshi, a laundry business owner from Yerawada, had suffered serious injuries after falling into the trench and died during treatment. Citing site videos, corporator Avinash Salve had blamed flimsy barricades and demanded the contractor be permanently blacklisted and booked for culpable homicide over negligence.While Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) maintained that safety instructions were issued to contractors, residents argued that such assurances rang hollow as similar accidents continued to occur across Maharashtra, including in Mumbai and Nashik.Citizens’ groups said the tragedy highlighted a larger crisis of poor road safety, unchecked civic negligence and a lack of accountability. “Have the lives of ordinary citizens become so cheap?” asked Satara Road resident Rucha Joshi. “Walking on roads has become risky. Encroachments have already eaten into public space, footpaths are narrow and poorly executed civic works are making matters worse,” she said.Residents pointed out that pothole-ridden and damaged roads had become increasingly accident-prone, claiming several lives in recent years.Consumer rights activist Vivek Velankar alleged that civic authorities and contractors routinely ignored established standards and Indian Roads Congress norms during infrastructure projects. “Despite repeated promises of action, nothing changes on the ground. The civic administration must register criminal cases against those who have failed in their duties. Serious charges, including culpable homicide, should be invoked to create a deterrent,” he said.PMC issues notice to contractorCivic officials said legal proceedings had already been initiated against the contractor involved in the work. “The contractor has been served a show-cause notice and asked to submit an explanation within 24 hours,” Rajendra Jadhav, superintending engineer of the PMC’s drainage department, said.He said further action would be taken after examining the response and other relevant facts.
