Pune: The appeal of living in a quaint, calm and tree-dotted Pune, as the city once was, is rapidly becoming a distant dream for many.As lines blur between residential and commercial zones, quiet streets have begun to buzz with patrons of eateries and other establishments extending revelry onto the streets. Blaring music and loudspeaker vibrations routinely keep locals awake well past midnight. Residents of areas like Kalyaninagar, Vimannagar, Balewadi, Deccan, Kharadi and Baner — popular party hubs — said they find themselves more frequently in front of police stations and ward offices now, armed with complaint copies and no resolution in sight. They claim that they deal with mitigated safety and heightened pollution, erosion of civic infrastructure and never-ending traffic snarls. This reality, they pointed out, has enveloped old and upcoming neighbourhoods alike. Cacophony of partygoers disrupts silent nights Kalyaninagar residents alleged that they have raised an alarm for years about the unchecked proliferation of pubs and rooftop bars in their residential zone. Despite clear zoning laws separating residential and commercial activities, permissions continue to be granted to pubs, bars, and restaurants to operate inside housing complexes and on narrow internal roads. “After the Porsche incident in May 2024, there was a brief attempt to curb encroachments, but it quickly lost momentum. The police have been consistent in ensuring pubs adhere to timings and with drink-and-drive checks. The real concern lies with the civic body and excise department, whose flawed licensing practices and lack of enforcement allow violations to flourish,” said Yasmin Charania, who lives in Kalyaninagar. Residents said constant follow-ups are required with civic authorities. In Aug 2025, a joint committee was formed, chaired by the DCP (Zone IV) to monitor and address concerns of Kalyaninagar residents. The committee includes the district collector and representatives from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), excise department, traffic police and residents. “Kalyaninagar is a test case for urban governance,” said Monica Sharma, a long-time area resident, adding, “We do not have an anti-business stance. But pubs should not be allowed to operate in residential zones, already stressed for basic civic infrastructure. PMC has sold off our peace, quiet and safety for a meagre Rs22.75 lakh collected as additional property taxes from 151 establishments, as per a media report. Post-incident crackdowns cannot undo damage.” Residents have now also requested a meeting with CM Devendra Fadnavis and MP Medha Kulkarni to present evidence and demand action. Overcrowding cripples limited civic infrastructure In areas like Prabhat Road and Kalyaninagar, several old bungalows have been turned into eateries, while in places like Vimannagar, Baner and Balewadi, large buildings have been constructed to house commercial establishments. This trend, said residents, puts immense stress on civic amenities available in the area For instance, if an old bungalow catered to the water and parking needs of four residents, when replaced with an eatery, it now has to sustain hundreds, even if it’s a floating crowd. This strains the water available to all those living in the vicinity; narrow lanes are expected to accommodate a lot more vehicles. “Traffic and the encroachment mushrooming next to eateries for late-night revellers is a big concern in our area,” said Vimannagar resident Anita Hanumante. “The neighbourhood has deteriorated in terms of parking space, water supply, cleanliness, and law and order after commercial establishments started coming up. Consuming liquor openly in narrow bylanes is another issue. Many times, patrons of bars get into fights and create a ruckus at odd hours. It affects quality of life a Vimannagar resident once enjoyed,” she added. A few residents of this area have also written to the police and PMC commissioner, and said they plan to conduct a protest soon if the situation does not improve. Disregard for law and order sounds alarm bells In Baner, there is little space left to walk, be it day or night. Traffic, either of employees heading to work or party-goers, is a constant. At night, even footpaths are used for parking larger vehicles by valets of various bars and eateries here, said resident Sarang Wable. “Just going to a shop around the corner from my home is like navigating an obstacle course. Tempos, four-wheelers and two-wheelers take over footpaths; there is so much traffic that the road is chock-a-block, too. Several establishments have also encroached by building entry gates on footpaths,” Wable told TOI. Since there is scant police patrolling, everyone just does whatever they want, he added. Residents of Kalyaninagar, Kharadi and Vimannagar also reported bumper-to-bumper traffic in evenings and chaos on weekends, thanks to commercial establishments. According to Wable, another major issue plaguing Baner is safety. He said, “Not only can one find multiple vehicles parked in narrow bylanes with people drinking inside, but we are certain drugs are supplied frequently in the neighbourhood. To keep our surroundings clean and safe, residents on many occasions approach those seated in cars to move away or not drink there. Some listen, others ridicule or abuse us. There is a great deal of fear among residents even to request these people as their intoxication levels vary.” Residents reiterated that police are largely responsive and arrive at the scene when called, but PMC and excise departments lack control when it comes to issuing licenses. True meaning of residential zones is lost, say experts Aneeta Gokhale-Benninger, an urban planner and a professor of sustainable development planning, said that a big problem with those envisioning the city today is that they have a lack of understanding of different areas. “Having a residential building with shops on the ground floor is common practice and aids the community that lives there. It fulfils land use needs. However, this characterization is soon disappearing. For example, the Deccan area has for years been a residential and institution-heavy area. We need bookshops, cafes, libraries, grocery stores and small simple eateries to cater to residents and students living here or frequenting the area. But do you see these shops on Fergusson College Road today?” she asked. According to her, PMC is “woefully unaware of the culture every ward has to present”, which is reflected in the kind of permissions they give to businesses. She added that people used to migrate to Pune because it was known as a safe city — today, as development gets out of hand, crimes have gone up and accidents have become a daily occurrence. “Areas marked as residential zones should not be messed with. There are specific areas for specific zones and those must be adhered to. While the civic body might look at things as a revenue-generating opportunity, its first duty is to the well-being of citizens. PMC is falling short of this if quality of life is decreasing. Endless traffic, erratic water supply, unregulated encroachments and rising crime are factors that point towards a deteriorating standard of living,” Gokhale-Benninger added. WHAT TOP OFFICIALS SAY Maintenance of wards is a problem at present. I am working on a plan to make ward offices stronger. In some cases, there is a very large area under a single ward office and managing it becomes tough. Bars and eateries cannot come up on every nook and corner. We are working on a survey with the collector’s office to understand the situation. We are also looking into complaints and how best we can resolve them— Naval Kishore Ram | PMC commissioner A committee headed by the collector decides on cancelling or granting of licences. We act on complaints from residents about noise violations. We are looking at what can be done better and coordinating with officials from various departments to ensure that residents are not inconvenienced. We conduct regular drives across areas too — Atul Kanade | Superintendent of excise, Pune district We take strict action based on complaints by residents. We also send reports to the excise department and recommend licence cancellations. Strict measures ensure deterrence. The situation is better now than a year ago. We also coordinate with PMC to ensure that building permissions are in order — Amitesh Kumar | Pune commissioner of police
