Repair work on road, canal wall to continue for 3 days

PUNE: The repair work of the caved-in road and the reconstruction of the Mutha right bank canal wall at Janata Vasahat will continue for three more days.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Saturday started laying the foundation for a 30-metre long wall portion, which caved in on Friday morning. “The work will not get over by Sunday and it will take at least three days. First, we will remove the soil, broken portions of the wall and the road, from the canal. We will then start construction of the wall and then reconstruct the road. There is a plan to build a concrete road,” an official from the PMC’s road department said on Saturday.

Even though the irrigation department has clarified that the road constructed along the canal is an inspection road and not to be used by private vehicles, the residents of Janata Vasahat have been using it for many years for their daily commute. The residents said this was the only road they use as there is no other road in the area.

Ajay Kadal, a resident of Janata Vasahat, said, “We were not aware that this was an inspection road, meant only for irrigation department officials. I have been using this road for the last seven to eight years. There is no alternative road for us.”

The road is very close to the canal. At many stretches, a small barricade installed at the edge of the road is the only barrier between the road and the canal.

Another resident Surekha Kale said people have no other choice but to use this road, even though it is risky to commute when the canal is full.

Meanwhile, local corporators have demanded urgent repairs of the entire canal to avoid any further damage.

The irrigation department said there was no plan to initiate the release of the water till the wall is constructed up to 3ft height.