Pune: Several key roads in Pune Cantonment, including the Pune-Solapur stretch, Coyaji, Kahun and Empress Garden roads, have deteriorated severely since June due to rainfall.Commuters are facing severe inconvenience after roads, riddled with deep potholes, have become a source of daily frustration for residents and office-goers. Citizens have repeatedly raised these issues and blamed the Cantonment Board and military authorities for failing to undertake timely repairs and lack of a concrete plan for sustainable infrastructure.“Some patches on Pune-Solapur highway have been giving nightmares to commuters for the last few years. It is unfortunate to see the lethargic attitude of the state public works department,” said Sagar Shinde, a regular commuter.“Traffic movement in cantonment has become slow because of the poor condition. It has doubled my commuting time,” said Akash Kulkarni, software professional. This recurring problem during the monsoon has prompted calls for urgent action from the authorities. Some of these roads come under the Army’s Garrison Engineers, while others are under PCB or state govt.A senior army officer said, “Contract related to road repairs with multiple private agencies is being finalised. The work will begin in the next few weeks.” The officer said they could not initiate repairs currently as moisture in the soil and wet surface would not support tarring. Pune Cantonment handles a significant traffic and some roads have become key stretches for citizens to connect either side of the city.“We temporarily repaired multiple streets, but it didn’t last for long due to the high vehicular movement,” added the officer. Residents, however, pressed for preventive measures to avoid damages during the future rainy seasons and demand that Cantonment Board must expedite repairs and provide long-lasting solution.The PCB has failed to even carry out basic repairs. For instance, Kahun road stays badly riddled with potholes. Incidentally, senior army officers of the Southern Command have their bungalow quarters along this road. “The condition of 1.5km stretch remained bad throughout the year. The cantonment’s repair work has been of low standard, and hence it remains in a non-motorable even for a few weeks,” said a senior army officer.“The authorities should seek help from the PMC for repairs since they don’t have an adequate budget. Ultimately citizens of the city persistently suffer,” said Rajabhau Chavan, an activist from Pune Camp.
