Canal Road near Janata Vasahat becomes dumping ground

Pune: The two sides of the Canal Road which runs parallel to Sinhagad Road and connects Wadgaon and Janata Vasahat is filled with garbage — both dry waste and construction debris.
Regular commuters said there was no daily collection of waste or any vigilance to prevent dumping.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) developed the Canal Road link over the last four years as an alternative to Sinhagad Road on which two flyovers were being built. The link came as a respite to commuters; however, it has been neglected in terms of upkeep.
Regular commuter Pranav Kulkarni said garbage dumping instances are more frequent near Janata Vasahat and Parvati water works. There was a need to increase streetlights to keep a tab on illegal dumping. "People throw multiple kind of waste along the road," he added.
Citizens said besides dumping of waste, PMC needed to monitor encroachment and illegal constructions coming up along the road. Ashish Kute, who stays in the Canal Road area, said encroachments had increased along the road ever since it opened to traffic. The area from where the road is aligned is near the hills and illegal construction posed a threat to the hilltop and hillslope.
PMC officials said they have increased garbage lifting in the area. "Our teams and garbage lifting vans regularly visit the Canal Road. We will check the status and initiate corrective measures," they said, adding that there would be more vigilance over the next few days to keep a tab on illegal garbage dumping.
Meanwhile, regular travellers have said Canal Road does not have traffic signals or medians, and safety measures should be implemented to ensure safer travel and prevent accidents. Immediate steps like rumble strips or speed arresters could be fixed at strategic locations to control the speed of vehicles.