Focus on Roads During Festival Season; PMC Assigns Responsibility of Key Roads to Engineers

Pune |  To ensure that citizens and mandals don’t face inconvenience during the upcoming Ganeshotsav and Navratri festivals, the Road Department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to focus on the city’s important roads. Instructions have been given to engineers to keep special attention on routes that have major mandals and where processions take place. Each engineer has been assigned responsibility for specific roads, with special care instructions to ensure that potholes do not develop during the festive period.

Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of PMC’s Road Department, provided this information. The municipal corporation has started taking necessary precautions to prevent any obstructions on the roads that may hinder the celebrations. Particular attention is being paid to roads that witness large gatherings and processions during Ganeshotsav.

The municipal corporation will be making efforts to avoid any inconvenience on key roads like Laxmi Road, Shivaji Road, Tilak Road, Bajirao Road, Nehru Road, Kelkar Road, Kumthekar Road, and Shastri Road, among others. Officers from the PMC’s Road Department will be appointed to address issues on these roads, and they will conduct daily inspections and resolve any problems.

During the festival, priority will be given to completing tasks required by mandals through the PMC. Instructions have been given to engage in discussions with the office bearers and volunteers of the concerned mandals. According to Pawaskar, engineers will be responsible for inspecting their assigned roads daily before and during the festival, and for resolving any difficulties found.

For Ganeshotsav and Navratri, the PMC has issued a set of rules for mandals. Any pits dug for setting up mandaps must be filled at their own expense. Mandaps, decorations, and other encroachments must be removed and the area vacated within three days after the festival. These are some of the directives included in the guidelines.

According to the PMC’s released regulations, from 2022, permissions for mandaps and arches will not be required for five years. However, new Ganesh mandals will need to obtain permission as per the 2019 guidelines. Moreover, a one-window scheme will be launched by the police and the PMC for obtaining various permissions.

Pits dug for mandaps must be repaired using cement concrete. Mandals must also ensure that there is no obstruction to traffic and that citizens are not affected by noise pollution. The PMC has also made it clear that a helpline has been launched for complaints. Citizens can reach out via the website http://complaint.punecorporation.org, toll-free number 1800 103 0222, mobile app PUNE Connect, or WhatsApp number 9689900002, the PMC has appealed.