Pune: Among the 40 newly elected corporators from the 22 areas brought under the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits in the last few years are two former sarpanch and a couple of former zilla parishad members, who won their maiden contest in the civic poll.More than five lakh people residing in the merged pockets voted for the first time in the poll held on Jan 15. The areas grapple with infrastructural challenges, and a lack of basic amenities is a major concern. Residents now expect dedicated funds for development work through their representatives in the general body.BJP’s Waynkoji Khopde, former sarpanch of Gujar-Nimbalkarwadi that was attached to PMC in 2021, defeated former corporator Vasant More in a close battle. Former sarpanch of Undri, Nivrutti Bandal (NCP), trounced former corporator Nana Bhangire. The former zilla parishad members who won on their civic electoral debut are Ramdas Dabhade and Anita Ingale, both from Wagholi.Sandip Mate, a resident of Manjari, said then gram panchayats could not handle the civic issues effectively because of a lack of funds and proper planning. “The sarpanch and gram panchayat members often faced difficulties in resolving problems with limited scope,” he said.Illegal constructions, haphazard development works, and a poor road network are major challenges the merged areas are facing, said Dhayri resident Vijay Gaikwad. “The gram panchayat during its tenure issued the go-ahead to many constructions despite the unavailability of water supply, roads and drainage lines. We want newly elected corporators to look into these issues,” he said.Bandal said people’s issues will be taken up on priority in the general body. “We are going to put forth our demands not only before the general body, but also in front of the civic administration, department heads and the municipal commissioner,” he said.
