‘This Is Not Venice!’: NCP Workers Slam PMC with Symbolic Boat Protest in Manjri, Pune

Manjri, 21st May 2025: In a striking display of dissent, workers from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) staged a protest on Wednesday by rowing a boat through a heavily waterlogged road in Manjri, highlighting the persistent civic failures of Pune’s infrastructure agencies.

Led by party leader Gajendra Baba More, the protest was aimed at holding the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Public Works Department (PWD), and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) accountable for the poor drainage and road management in the rapidly developing eastern suburbs.

Following a spell of heavy rain, parts of Manjri were inundated, with roads resembling canals — a now-familiar sight for residents. In response, NCP workers launched what they termed a “symbolic boat protest,” rowing a small wooden boat along a submerged stretch of road to mock the lack of basic civic preparedness.
“This is not Venice, it’s Pune,” said Gajendra Baba More, speaking to reporters during the protest. “Every year, citizens suffer due to waterlogging and damaged roads, and yet no long-term solutions are implemented. We are staging this protest to wake up the authorities.”

The unusual demonstration caught the attention of commuters and social media users alike, as videos of the boat sailing through flooded streets quickly went viral. Several residents also joined the protest, venting their frustration over chronic flooding, stalled traffic, and the risk of waterborne diseases.

“We pay taxes expecting proper infrastructure, not boats on city roads,” said one resident, visibly agitated. “This happens every monsoon. The PMC and other bodies only wake up after such protests.”

The protest highlights a broader issue plaguing Pune’s peripheral areas where rapid urbanization has outpaced planned development. Locals allege that despite repeated complaints and media coverage, drainage upgrades and road maintenance remain neglected.

While civic officials remained unavailable for immediate comment, sources within the PMC admitted that “drainage mapping and capacity enhancement projects are still under review.”

As the monsoon approaches, the boat protest has sparked fresh debate on the city’s preparedness — or lack thereof — in tackling seasonal flooding in newly urbanized zones like Manjri, Hadapsar, and Wagholi.