Pune: ‘Smart’ footpath digging on FC Road punctures gas pipeline

PUNE: Fear gripped residents, road users, hoteliers and visitors to the eateries in a section of Fergusson College when a 32mm Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) pipeline began spewing gas after it was damaged by an earth mover engaged in the digging work near Hotel Vaishali around 11.20am on Saturday.
Officials from the fire brigade, Pune police and MNGL, who arrived after they were alerted, plugged the damaged line quickly. A strong stench of the natural gas permeated the area for a few hours. No casualties were reported.

Fire department officials said a connecting line was damaged by an earth mover while excavating. “We got a call at 11.32am. There is no major damage and the main line is fine. MNGL authorities also came to the spot and the leakage was controlled without much delay,” the officials added.
Head of the PMC’s road department, Aniruddha Pawaskar, said they had coordinated with all agencies about the digging work in advance.
“Despite taking efforts, such incidents (gas leak) may occur. However, we have tried to ensure that there is a coordinated effort and that representatives of various agencies are present to supervise and advise the contractor,” he said.
Pawaskar said the absence of maps from agencies about their pipeline or cable networks causes such accidents
Shyam Marne of the FC Road Traders’ Association said it has been over 50 days that the stretch of road between Hotel Vaishali and Fergusson College main gate has been dug up.
“We were told that the work of the footpath has slowed down due to permission for the 24x7 water pipeline project,” he said.
“Finally, work began and promptly the MNGL gas line breached. A falling tree damaged the electricity cables some days ago. Water lines were broken near Hotel Roopali,” he added.
Anger Over Slow Work
Officials of public utilities and FC Road residents have said that snapping of the underground cables has become regular as the machinery used in the Smart City makeover is put to work on digging up the roads.
Marne said the civic authorities do not want to finish the footpath work quickly. “ Traders, local residents, pedestrians and motorists are facing so much inconvenience due to the slow pace of work on FC Road. Damage to the gas pipeline is causing further delays and due care must be taken to ensure that such incidents do not occur. So many wires and cables have been uprooted. The authorities and the elected representatives must pay attention to the ongoing work to ensure that it is completed,” he added.
Santosh Sontakke, director (commercial) for Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited said, “This is not an isolated incident. We are facing damage to gas pipelines across the city every few days due to road work or Metro work. A total of 43 cases of damage to our lines were reported since January. We have installed our markers wherever gas lines are running and these should be checked by the contractors. Damage to the lines means shutting down gas supply for two or three hours for repairs. It, in turn, affects supply to all the surrounding households.”
According to Sontakke, the Pune Municipal Corporation must advise its contractors to undertake work with caution so that service utility lines are not damaged.
“The PMC knows when and where the digging is going to happen. Due care must be taken to ensure that no damage is caused. The civic body has to recover dues for damage from the contractors which does not happen,” Sontakke said.
There are complaints about snapping of electricity lines, telephone lines or gas lines because of the road work across the city. Areas have remained in the dark for long hours due to the damage caused to underground cables. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd officials said that nearly 350 to 400 cases of damage to underground cables due to infrastructure works across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad were reported in 2018.
“A small puncture may not be a big issue right away but could lead to power failure during the monsoon. If a few drops of water reach a punctured underground cable, it could lead to short-circuit,” an official said.
The official said that after a cable along FC Road was damaged, a joint survey was taken up by MSEDCL and PMC.
“All the exposed cables were checked. Civic officials were told about all the spots where underground cables are running,” he added.
Civic activist Vivek Velankar said if the service utility lines were installed according to standard, any damage caused is the responsibility of the PMC.