Pune: With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections just two days away, the Wanowrie Residents Forum (WRF) has released a comprehensive charter of civic priorities for Ward 18. Compiled through extensive feedback from housing societies and neighborhood groups, the charter reflected a growing demand for accountable governance and time-bound results from elected representatives and civic officials. The charter outlined 12 priority areas, ranging from sanitation and water supply to traffic management, policing, and protection of open spaces. “Residents are not seeking extraordinary facilities, but a reasonable standard of living and a satisfactory quality of life backed by sustained civic action and transparency,” WRF representative Maithali Manakwad told TOI. Cleanliness emerged as the foremost concern. The forum demanded daily street sweeping with publicly announced schedules and strict garbage clearance, including twice-daily removal at chronic dumping “hotspots”. Other demands included universal door-to-door waste collection, functional ward-level treatment facilities, more litter bins, and adequate public toilets. The forum also called for strict enforcement of open-defecation-free norms and heavy penalties for littering and spitting, aiming for Wanowrie to be certified as a “Swachh neighbourhood” under Union ministry guidelines. The charter sought year-round access to potable water through an equitable, closed loop piped system, ideally providing a 24×7 supply. The forum emphasized zero tolerance for leakages and pilferage, calling for uniform distribution and publicly accessible water quality monitoring reports to ensure safety and transparency. The residents emphasized their firm stand on protecting public land, calling for minimal construction on open spaces such as the central ground near Samvidhan Chowk, SRPF land, and adjoining forest patches. The forum opposed using these areas for temporary commercial encroachments, such as melas and exhibitions, arguing that such events undermine long-term public access. Pedestrian infrastructure was flagged as a major pain point. The charter demanded safe, continuous, and encroachment-free pavements, alongside the removal of unauthorised banners and hoardings. The forum insisted that ward officers be held directly accountable for enforcing these norms. Other key infrastructure demands included completion of disputed Azadnagar–Krishna Nagar road stretch near Ruby Hall Clinic, comprehensive pothole repairs throughout the ward, upgradation and better maintenance of Salunke Vihar crematorium, improved traffic management at congestion-prone junctions and expanded green cover. To ensure these demands are met, the forum called for strengthened preventive policing and regulation of noise levels during festivals. Stressing the need for ongoing dialogue, the WRF requested periodic ward-level meetings with citizen participation and creation of a dedicated Wanowrie civic webpage. The forum stated that the charter would be shared with all candidates contesting from Ward 18, making it clear to contenders that residents would judge them on their commitment to measurable improvements rather than vague campaign promises.
