Pune: Bell-Ringing Protest Highlights Deadly Potholes on Nigdi-Akurdi Service Road
Pimpri-Chinchwad, 5th July 2025: Citizens in Pimpri-Chinchwad are grappling with life-threatening potholes along the service road old Mumbai-Pune Highway from Nigdi’s Lokmanya Tilak Chowk to Akurdi’s Khandoba Mal Chowk. Fed up with administrative inaction, local leader Deepa Mahesh Kate led a unique “Ghanta Naad” (bell-ringing) protest near the Bajaj Auto Gate to draw attention to the grave issue.
The protest witnessed an overwhelming turnout of local residents, all demanding urgent repairs to the perilous stretch. Commuters say the potholes have turned travel into a daily risk, forcing them to navigate with fear for their lives.
Speaking at the protest, Deepa Mahesh Kate told that the road’s condition poses an immediate danger and reflects gross negligence by the civic body. Protesters demanded swift intervention from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and expressed frustration over the lack of timely road maintenance.
A formal memorandum was submitted to PCMC’s Civil Department during the demonstration. The protest has gained significant traction in the city and has become a focal point for broader concerns over Pimpri-Chinchwad’s crumbling infrastructure.
