Pune Smart City: What Happened to Baner’s Rs 1.5 Cr Water Conservation Park? Locals Demand Answers
Baner, 30th July 2025: A water conservation park developed in Baner under the Pune Smart City initiative has come under fire from local residents, who allege that the project has served little purpose and is now lying abandoned. Built at a cost of approximately ₹1.5 crore by the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL), the park was meant to promote sustainable water practices. However, locals argue it has neither created awareness nor fulfilled its intended objective.
A visit to the site by the Free Press Journal team revealed locked gates and overgrown pathways. Nearby residents said the park was open briefly—only for a couple of months—and has remained shut ever since, without any explanation or signage from the authorities. Many were not even aware of the park’s stated purpose.
“We thought it was just another public garden,” said Rahul Sachdeva, a resident living close to the site. “People used to come here in March to sit and click selfies, mostly senior citizens. But it’s been locked for two or three months now. There’s no notice, no update. At the very least, they could inform citizens about its status.”
Another resident, Riddhi Gayakwad, echoed similar sentiments. “They’re calling it a water conservation park? That’s news to us. There was no awareness drive, no sessions explaining its purpose. Constructing infrastructure in the name of conservation without involving the public or educating them is pointless. This is just a decorative space that failed to serve its mission.”
So @PMCPune built a ₹1.5 Cr water conservation park in Baner under the #SmartCity project across two phases instead of laying a water pipeline.
Look at its condition: abandoned and useless. Who’s going to visit or learn anything here? Compared to how… pic.twitter.com/IJwTR2n9dL
— Defence Brat (@DefenceBrat) July 27, 2025
Ravi Kumar, a long-time Pune resident, didn’t mince words when commenting on the larger implications. “More than half the homes in Pune still don’t have regular access to municipal water. Instead of addressing that with proper pipelines, authorities are pouring crores into projects that have no real impact. This isn’t just mismanagement — it’s systemic negligence. With no corporators in place, governance has become one-sided. One municipal commissioner cannot be expected to manage a city of this scale effectively. Pune is on a downward slide, and this park is just a symptom of a deeper problem.”
On social media, the issue has drawn widespread criticism. Many users described the park as a “photo-op project” and “another example of public money being flushed without accountability.”
Residents are now demanding that PSCDCL either repurpose the space with public consultation or take immediate steps to make it functional and accessible.
As Pune faces growing challenges around water supply and urban planning, the controversy around the Baner park has highlighted a disconnect between smart city ambitions and on-ground realities.
