Pune: Over 100 residents of Mhalunge on Thursday launched a protest against the poor condition of roads and what they termed the civic administration’s sluggish response to their long-pending grievances, demanding immediate action from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).The residents said the situation had spiralled out of control following the recent spell of heavy rain, with waterlogged and pothole-ridden roads reducing major stretches to bottlenecks, turning routine commutes into exhausting ordeals. “We were assured of planned development through town planning scheme and other initiatives when the area was brought under PMC limits nearly five years back. Most of those promises, however, remain confined to paper, leaving taxpayers to bear the brunt of poor planning and delayed execution of development works,” resident Arun Jadhav, who took part in the protest, said.
Mahalunge roads are riddled with potholes, many waterlogged, making commuting unsafe. Drivers are forced to slow down and weave around damaged stretches, worsening congestion and raising accident risks
Another protester, Sagar Pashankar, said residents have had enough of temporary fixes. “We now demand that potholes on all major roads in Mhalunge be patched immediately. PMC and the traffic police must work together to address the worsening traffic congestion in the area. The entire stretch from Mhalunge Gaon to Bajirao Padale Chowk requires complete reinstatement, not patchwork repairs,” he said.According to Pashankar, a delegation of residents held discussions with civic officials during the protest. “The administration has promised quick fixes for potholes, but the larger road repairs will take time. We will continue to follow up. This protest is not a one-time event. We are prepared to intensify our agitation if required,” he said.
While PMC workers have patched some smaller potholes, larger ones remain, providing little relief. Residents say the fixes are temporary and are urging the civic body to carry out durable repairs before the monsoon worsens the damage
Corporator Baburao Chandere visited the demonstration site and interacted with the agitating residents. Protesters said they expected elected representatives to play a proactive role in pushing PMC for faster execution of pending works and ensuring that Mhalunge’s long-neglected infrastructure issues finally received the attention they deserved.
