Garbage heaps, dug-up pavements and debris choke key city areas as residents slam PMC's crumbling civic infrastructureMany footpaths have been dug up in these areas.

Only repairing work will not happen. So, from the main petrol pump road on Kalyani Nagar to the Kalyani Nagar bridge, we are building a completely new footpath.
- Rajesh Bankar, Chief Engineer (Road), PMC

Walking on footpaths is no longer a pleasure in Pune city. Garbage dumps, heaps of dry leaves, broken branches, and dug-up pathways have made walking on the footpaths a daily struggle. Residents have raised concerns over the poor condition of footpaths in areas such as Dhole Patil Road, Boat Club Road, Koregaon Park, Bund Garden, Yerawada, and Kalyani Nagar, saying the civic infrastructure is no longer pedestrian-friendly.

Pune Times Mirror visited several parts of the city on Saturday to take a first-hand look. Several stretches of footpaths were found encroached upon by garbage and debris. Many were damaged due to ongoing utility work. In many areas, footpaths have been dug up for laying underground MSEDCL power cables, leaving uneven surfaces and making it risky for pedestrians, especially senior citizens and students, to walk safely.

Dumping a recurring issue

Residents from Yerawada complained that garbage dumping on footpaths has become a recurring issue. Rajnish Choubey, a resident of Yerawada, said "Heaps of dry leaves and tree branches are often left unattended for days. Garbage dumping and piles of dry leaves on footpaths have become very common. People are forced to walk on the roads because the pathways are blocked with waste and branches."
Students and daily commuters too expressed frustration over the condition of the walkways. Seema Gulvani, a student who frequently travels on Bund Garden Road, said. "The damaged and uneven footpaths make commuting difficult. At Bund Garden, many stretches of the footpath are broken or occupied by debris. Walking safely, especially during rush hours, becomes very difficult."

Incomplete digging work

In Koregaon Park, residents pointed to incomplete digging work that has hampered pedestrian movement. Jiya Singh, a resident of Koregaon Park, said, "Footpath digging work has been done to put MSEDCL cables."

New footpaths will be built: Civic official

The PMC officials admitted that large-scale infrastructure expansion and rising electricity demand in eastern Pune areas have resulted in repeated digging up of footpaths. Rajesh Bankar, Chief Engineer (Road), PMC said, "On Nagar Road and on Kalyani Nagar Main North Road and areas ahead of Kalyani Nagar, many new buildings and IT sectors have come up. So, MSEDCL has given connections via one big cable and they have put that line through the middle of the footpath. So many footpaths have been dug up in these areas."
He said, "Only repairing work will not happen. So, from the main petrol pump road on Kalyani Nagar to the Kalyani Nagar bridge, we are building a completely new footpath."

Explaining the broader issue, Bankar added, "The same condition exists on Nagar Road as MSEDCL lines pass from the substation to Wagholi and other areas. The repair work that PMC has undertaken is in progress only on roads where footpaths can be repaired. However, in the case of Nagar Road and Kalyani Nagar Road, the footpath is beyond repair, which is why we will build a completely new footpath with utilities."