Heavy Rains and Gusty Winds Uproot Trees in Dhanori; Five Cars Damaged, Traffic Disrupted

Dhanori, 6th June 2025: Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds wreaked havoc in Pune’s Dhanori area on Wednesday evening, uprooting trees at three different locations and causing significant damage to five parked four-wheelers. While no casualties were reported, the incidents led to temporary traffic disruptions and raised concerns about the city’s emergency response preparedness.

Trees Collapse at Three Locations
Porwal Road: A large tree fell on three parked cars due to high-speed winds and torrential rainfall. All three vehicles sustained considerable damage, and local traffic was severely impacted for some time.

Munjaba Vasti (Near Dhaneshwar School): Another tree collapsed in this area. Prompt action by the Pune Municipal Corporation’s garden department ensured that branches were cleared quickly to restore normalcy.

Bhairavnagar, Lane 10 (Near Rohan Apartment): Yet another tree fell on two cars parked near the apartment, causing extensive damage. The fallen tree blocked the road for a considerable time, leading to long queues of vehicles and inconvenience to commuters.

Delayed Response Draws Public Criticism
Local citizens expressed their dissatisfaction over what they termed as the delayed and inadequate response from municipal authorities. Ganesh Patil, a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activist from Dhanori, alleged that it took over two hours for the Pune Municipal Corporation to respond to the Bhairavnagar incident.

“There was no fire brigade vehicle available at the Dhanori station, no emergency personnel on site, and calls to the Yerawada fire station went unanswered,” said Patil. “Is this the state of emergency response in Pune city?”

PMC Responds to Allegations
In response to the criticism, Chandrasen Nagtilak, officer from the Yerawada Regional Office, clarified that authorities were alerted as soon as the incidents were reported. “We immediately informed the fire brigade and the garden department. Since the team was already working on removing a fallen tree on Porwal Road, there was a slight delay in reaching Bhairavnagar. However, once on site, the team acted swiftly to clear the blockage,” he stated.

Concerns Over Monsoon Preparedness
The incident has reignited discussions about Pune’s monsoon preparedness. With the monsoon season just beginning, local residents have urged the civic body to conduct pre-monsoon inspections, including identifying and trimming weak or overgrown trees, to prevent such occurrences in the future.

The Dhanori incident serves as a timely reminder that proactive planning and rapid response mechanisms are crucial to managing urban infrastructure risks during extreme weather events.