Pune Faces Fresh Wave of Road Digging Post-Monsoon, Citizens Question Planning and Transparency
Pune, 15th April 2025: Despite years of complaints about potholes and damaged roads, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to dig up nearly 350 kilometers of roads across the city following the monsoon season, raising fresh concerns about civic planning and public spending.
According to PMC officials, the proposed works — estimated to cost around ₹600 crore — will involve trenching roads to install underground infrastructure, including high-speed data networks for government departments and a city-wide CCTV surveillance system for the police.
The announcement has sparked backlash from citizens and activists, who say that repeated and poorly coordinated roadwork not only wastes taxpayer money but also disrupts daily life.
“Instead of using modern trenchless technology, authorities continue to rely on outdated, destructive methods just to serve vested interests,” said civic activist Vijay Kumbhar of Surajya Sangharsha Samiti. “It’s not just about inconvenience anymore — it’s about systematic misuse of public funds.”
Residents across the city echoed these sentiments.
Officials defended the move, stating that coordination efforts are being made to avoid repeated digging in the same areas. Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of PMC’s road department, explained, “We’ve instructed all agencies to synchronize their activities. As a result, we’ve already managed to cut down the planned digging by nearly 200 kilometers.”
He added, “The permissions are given primarily for public safety and inter-agency coordination. Our goal is to make this process as efficient as possible.”
Currently, private companies are charged ₹12,000 per running metre for road restoration, while government and semi-government agencies pay ₹6,000. However, the actual cost incurred by PMC is between ₹7,000 and ₹8,000 per metre, leading to a gap often filled by the civic budget.
PMC data reveals that nearly 10,000 potholes are patched each year, requiring about 30,000 metric tonnes of asphalt and 6,000 metric tonnes of cement-based mixtures. Despite these efforts, many roads remain in poor condition, particularly during and after the monsoon season.
The civic body enforces a May 31 deadline for completion of roadworks, with permissions restricted to emergency work between June and September. In a bid to curb unauthorized digging, PMC reportedly fined 10 contractors a total of ₹50 lakh last year for non-compliance in areas like Nagar Road, Warje, and Sinhagad Road.
