Pune: Some parts of the Ashadhi wari palkhi routes damaged in the recent heavy showers were urgently repaired by the road department over the last two days when the rains took a break to prevent inconvenience to warkaris, said the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The bus rapid transit system (BRTS) route on Alandi Road was also removed to make movement smoother.The annual palkhi processions of the Sant Tukaram Maharaj and the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj pass through Pune.The Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession enters from Harris Bridge, moving through Khadki and Wakdewadi, while the Dnyaneshwar Maharaj palkhi procession arrives from Alandi via Vishrantwadi and Sangamwadi. The two processions merge at the College of Engineering Pune Chowk in Shivajinagar and proceed through FC Road and Laxmi Road to reach their respective overnight halts at Nana Peth and Bhavani Peth. After a day’s rest, both processions cross Hadapsar and finally diverge. The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi travels along the Solapur highway towards Loni Kalbhor and the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj palkhi scales Dive Ghat towards Saswad on its way to Pandharpur.Local residents along the routes highlighted the road damage due to the rains. “The administration should have completed the works much before the procession and managed the whole event better. Road repairs not only help the procession, but regular commuters,” said Ganesh Ghodke of Vishrantwadi.“Those walking in the palkhi procession will suffer due to potholed roads. The Palkhi Marg and connecting roads are damaged. This time, a large number of devotees converged in Pune city after the authorities’ appeal to not visit Alandi and Dehu because of heavy rains,” said Yogesh Sasane, resident and former corporator of Hadapsar.A Peth area resident, Hrishikesh Balgude, said, “It is not only the roads, but staying facilities at schools are below par. Certain civic officials were harsh and arrogant with some devotees trying to accommodate themselves at a municipal school in a Peth area. The civic body makes tall claims of offering relief to warkaris, but such actions prove otherwise.”“The civic administration had undertaken works to remove the BRTS and repair roads on priority. Road maintenance was completed before the deadline. The ward offices were roped in for restoration works,” said head of PMC’s road department Rajesh Bankar.
