Pune: Lohegaon-Wagholi Road Under Fire For Poor Quality Concretisation

Pune, 28th August 2023: The recent concretisation of the Lohegaon-Wagholi Road by the Public Works Department (PWD) has come under scrutiny due to alleged substandard workmanship, as raised by the Mahiti Seva Samiti. In response to the complaints, PWD officials, along with the involved contractor, conducted a joint inspection of the road to assess the situation.

During the investigation, Assistant Engineer Janhavi Rode and Abhimanyu Jamale of PWD’s sub division one examined a one-kilometer stretch of the internal road situated between Sant Nagar and Dadachi Vasti. Concerns over the quality of work were initially brought up by Sagar Khandve and other members of the Mahiti Seva Samiti, who maintained consistent follow-up on the matter. A meeting was convened to highlight the concerns, and this prompted Rode and Jamale to conduct an on-site inspection. Following their evaluation, they acknowledged that the road’s condition was indeed subpar.

Taking immediate action, Rode decided to withhold the payment of the contractor’s bill amounting to ₹3.5 crore. She issued directives to the contractor to initiate patchwork and carry out necessary repairs on the road. While this response was met with resistance from the Mahiti Seva Samiti, who pushed for a complete rebuilding of the road, Rode asserted that the road’s construction adhered to stipulated regulations.

Addressing the challenges faced, Rode mentioned that the road was swiftly opened to traffic soon after the concretisation was completed. Unfortunately, due to this urgency, the road couldn’t be adequately treated with water, which consequently led to the emergence of potholes. To ensure accountability and transparency, a panel will be assembled to investigate the matter further.

The Mahiti Seva Samiti has indicated that they will continue to press their demands, and if these are not met, they intend to take the matter to court under the guidance of Chandrakant Varghade. The situation has garnered attention, with prominent figures such as District General Secretary Sagar Khandve, Madhukar Khandve, Navnath Khandve, Sumit Khadve, and Sunny Khandve, along with concerned citizens, being actively involved.