Pune: PMC Repairs 15,000 Sq Ft of Roads Ahead of Amit Shah’s Visit; Congress Alleges ‘VIP-Centric’ Approach

Pune,1st August 2026: Ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Pune on Saturday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) carried out an extensive road repair drive along the designated VIP route, repairing around 15,000 square feet of damaged roads over the past four days.

According to PMC officials, the Road Department undertook pothole filling and road maintenance works between July 28 and July 31 despite continuous rainfall to ensure smooth movement of the minister’s convoy. The repairs covered key stretches from Pune Airport to Swargate, Annabhau Sathe Memorial to Kataria High School, and important roads in the Cantonment area.

PMC Road Department Chief Rajesh Bankar said the civic body used 118 metric tonnes of hot-mix asphalt and 975 bags of cold mix during the repair work. Priority was given to roads connecting Lohegaon Airport, Pune Railway Station, Annabhau Sathe Memorial, Sarasbaug, Mukundnagar, Dias Plot, Pulgate, Golibar Maidan, Dhobi Ghat, and Empress Garden Road.

While the civic administration described the work as a necessary maintenance exercise ahead of the high-profile visit, the repairs sparked criticism from residents and opposition leaders, who questioned why similar urgency is not shown in repairing roads used daily by ordinary citizens.

Many residents expressed disappointment that large-scale pothole repairs were undertaken only after a VIP visit was scheduled, despite repeated complaints about poor road conditions across the city during the ongoing monsoon.

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the PMC, Ramchandra (Chandu) Kadam, alleged that the road repairs were aimed at managing the VIP visit rather than addressing the city’s long-standing infrastructure issues. He termed the exercise “event management” instead of genuine development and claimed that the work was being carried out in haste without proper quality checks.

Kadam also alleged that the asphalt temperature was not being monitored and that much of the work was completed late at night, raising concerns about the quality and durability of the repairs. He further said that the possibility of irregularities in the execution of the work could not be ruled out.

The Congress leader urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to travel through Pune’s suburban areas instead of only using the designated VIP route. According to him, such a visit would provide a clearer picture of the city’s deteriorating road conditions and the daily hardships faced by Pune residents due to potholes and inadequate civic infrastructure.

The road repair drive has once again reignited the debate over whether civic infrastructure improvements should be driven by the needs of citizens or accelerated primarily during visits by senior political leaders.