City: Pune

Having a strong community group and active citizenry helps in many ways. Most importantly, it helps you tide over difficult times. We at Wagholi Housing Societies Association (WHSA) have always believed in these principles and fostered the same feeling among residents. Throughout the pandemic, we have stood together, taking care of each other’s back. WHSA has become a strong representation and support platform for various grievances and civic problems of Wagholi residents. From potholes to COVID-19 relief, the Association has helped its residents with every civic issue.    The global community is undergoing one of the toughest times in the history…

It’s called Mission Begin Again, Maharashtra’s plans to slowly remove lockdown restrictions and get life back to a new kind of normal. And one directive issued under this Mission, which came into effect from June 3rd, has brought cheer to Pune’s burgeoning cycling community. Phase I of the Mission lists the outdoor physical activities that citizens can engage in, amongst which cycling features prominently. “People are actively encouraged to use cycling as a form of physical exercise as it automatically ensures social distancing,” reads the directive issued by the state’s department of Revenue and Forest, Disaster Management and Relief and…

As with all other major urban centres, Pune’s daily wage earners are among the worst hit by the Coronavirus lockdown. As Pune grew in size and developed as one of Maharashtra’s major economic hubs, the city became home to lakhs of migrant workers, all of whom are today struggling to make ends meet due to the sudden loss of all income, as construction work and factories closed down overnight. While a few did manage to return home before the countrywide lockdown came into force, most who are stuck in Pune have no access to basic needs like food and shelter.…

Even as the Pune Municipal Corporation goes full throttle with its Smart City initiatives, the work in progress is causing major problems for Punekars. The most irksome being poor road conditions. Despite several measures taken by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and other civic bodies, Pune’s roads continue to be plagued with potholes, dim-lights, and ill-constructed speed-breakers and dividers. “Commuting via the potholed Choudhary Basti Road in Kharadi has become a nightmare for people, who are risking their lives every day to reach their destinations,” said Kharadi resident Anuradha Dubey.  Satish Mane, a resident from Kondhwa added: “The area sees…

First mooted in 2002, the Pune Metro is finally ready for launch in 2020. Being built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the inauguration of Pune metro’s first line from Tukaram Nagar to Phugewadi is scheduled for April. This stretch, part of the Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate Line-1 is set to be functional by March 2020, according to union minister Prakash Javadekar. Javadekar also claimed that all three lines of the metro are likely to be functional by 2022. These claims, however, were refuted by the MahaMetro, the special purpose vehicle set up to build and run the Pune metro. “The…

For the transpeople of Pune, November 20 was an important day. “We have come here for all the transpeople who lost their lives to transphobia,” said Rishi, a trans-rights activist, on this “Trans Remembrance Day”. “We want to observe this in public, these tragedies took place in public and it is only right that we are here and we are being seen”.  If you have lived or travelled around Pune you will have heard of and visited the shopping area of Tulsi Baugh, just four minutes’ walk north of Budhwar Peth, the city’s red light district. Many transwomen have their…

Close to 20 people killed in the city itself, several missing and over 3000 requiring rehabilitation -- Pune is grappling with the situation in the aftermath of the September flash floods, as the city and its adjoining areas saw over 100 millimetres of rain over a period of two days. While efforts are on to redeem the situation, environmentalists and analysts say that the writing had been on the wall for some time. And the authorities had even been warned about it… Flashback to August 2019 In the first week of August, Pune experienced floods after around 100000 cusecs of…

Pune’s No 1 ranking in the Ease of Living index contrasts sharply with ground realities, especially when one considers the most basic requirement of all, water. Despite recording one of its heaviest rainfalls this season (561.8 mm, according to Dr Anupam Kashyapi, Head, Weather & Air Pollution Monitoring Unit, India Meteorological Department), and the district’s four dams -- Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon, and Temghar -- being nearly full, the city is facing a shortage of water and inequitable supply. “In our area, we have seen flooding in some societies while we queue up for drinking water”, said a distraught Arvind Vichare…

In 2006, Pune became the second city after Ahmedabad to introduce the BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) project, an ambitious scheme that envisaged the implementation of a high-quality public transport system to offset the rising vehicular traffic and the subsequent congestion within city limits. To provide its citizens with a reliable medium of public transport, the scheme promised the construction and layout of dedicated bus corridors along with new air-conditioned buses and high-end terminals and stations. In its pilot phase, the project partly operationalised a high capacity bus system on two corridors, the Swargate–Hadapsar (East‐West) Corridor of 10.2 km, and…

“Enter via the big arch of the crematorium.” The ominous instructions to reach the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Pune perhaps foreshadow the fate that is looming for this green patch. Located off the busy Nagar Road in Pune, on the banks of the Mula Mutha river, the inconspicuous sanctuary shares an entrance with a crematorium and a garbage dump – not the most appealing welcome for visiting birds or birdwatchers. The slice of green, however, has been quietly attracting several species of birds and butterflies and houses a variety of trees and shrubs. But Pune’s booming infrastructure is…