Pune Residents Take Charge: #WakeUpPunekar Movement Targets City’s Growing Civic And Traffic Issues

Tikam Shekhawat

Pune, 4th February 2024: Former MLA Mohan Joshi announced the initiation of the ‘#WakeUpPunekar’ movement during a press conference held today at Green Signal restaurant in Shivajinagar. The movement aims to engage Pune residents in addressing the city’s civic challenges directly. Joshi highlighted the escalating problems faced by Punekars, ranging from traffic congestion to issues with water supply, health, sanitation, and air pollution.

Speaking at the press conference, Joshi emphasized the need to involve the citizens of Pune in finding solutions to these challenges. “Over the past decade, Pune has witnessed significant expansion and population growth. Consequently, concerns about traffic, water supply, health, sanitation, and air pollution have become more pronounced. The ‘#WakeUpPunekar’ movement seeks to gather opinions and solutions from the people of Pune, creating awareness and generating public opinion. This, in turn, will facilitate more targeted problem-solving,” he stated.

To kickstart the movement, Joshi announced the ‘#AdaklaiPunekar’ campaign, focusing on tackling traffic congestion in the city. With the increasing number of vehicles on Pune’s roads, especially two-wheelers and four-wheelers, commuting to schools, colleges, offices, and hospitals has become challenging. Parking issues and disputes have also surged, causing distress to drivers covering long distances.

Volunteers of ‘#WakeUpPunekar’ will be stationed at traffic jam spots and traffic signals across the city, distributing questionnaire forms to motorists. These forms will seek input on the challenges faced by commuters and their proposed solutions. After 15 days, the collected information will be used to assess and scrutinize the suggested measures, with the aim of implementing effective solutions.

In addition to on-ground activities, the movement plans to use placards with slogans such as ‘#StuckPunekar’ and ‘#WakeUpPunekar’ throughout the city to raise awareness about the traffic issues.

The movement will extend its focus beyond traffic concerns to address various civic issues. Collaboration with organizations working in the field, along with involvement from the police administration, schools, and colleges, is expected. Conferences and workshops on relevant topics will be organized, and the suggestions received from Pune residents will be presented to the relevant departments for follow-up. The movement also intends to leverage social media platforms to amplify awareness and address civic problems effectively.