Evacuations in Baner, Aundh and Balewadi

PUNE’S TRYST WITH THE MONSOON

As Mula spills into residential areas, along with accumulated water from deluge, water enters societies, forcing 1,000 people out; NDRF, PMC come to the rescue

On Monday, as rain relentlessly lashed the city, Baner and Balewadi brimmed with water that spilled out of the adjacent waterway and became saturated in the entire expanse due to the downpour itself. The deluge caused electricity cuts and other damages, inciting calls for rescue from the residents. Around 1,000 of them moved out of their houses with no intention of returning anytime soon — a cautionary also issued by the officials.

Prathamesh Society and Sai Dutt Residency from Baner are the worst hit and others, like Rutugandh, are dealing with a power cut.

“Water started entering our society on Sunday morning,” said Padmakar Punde, an executive member of the Saidutta Residency which has 124 flats. Punde added, “The residents were stuck and needed to be rescued by professionals.”

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) were quick to respond to Baner’s calls. They vacated all the flats within 24 hours.


“The water from Mula has flooded all the buildings. In such a time, we are helping each other. For instance, a few doctors and I are tending to sick people from the area,” said Dr Rajesh Deshpande, who lives in Sai Dutt Residency.

At Rutugandh, residents waded through the dark, making a mountainous effort to sustain energy. However, the society has been without electricity since Sunday morning. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) Limited has said that the situation may last for two more days. “We are dependent on the generator and it may not last for long. We may have to move for a couple of days,” said Rahul Subhash, a resident.

NDRF evacuated close to 200 people from houses in Baner and have been alerted to remain on their toes if the situation gets worse. The team has been working since Sunday morning in Baner and Balewadi. Sadanand Gawade, NDRF deputy commandant told Mirror, “While the situation is under control at present, the water does not show signs of receding. I will advise people to not return to these critical areas for the next three days due to the impending risk.”

The scenario was no different in Aundh, where Vidhate Vasti witnessed a massive movement due to severe waterlogging. Around 700 people had to be shifted to a municipal school and other places arranged by PMC. “Locals of Dattawadi, Aundh and Sanghvi have been evacuated and shifted to nearby schools and temples, due to incessant rain in the catchment areas,” infomred district collector Naval Kishore Ram.

Techies exercise caution

Rains compelled several IT professionals to work from home on Monday, as various bridges in the city submerged under the river. Forum for IT Employees (FITE) has requested the district collector to issue an advisory to IT companies to grant leaves for employees considering the situation. Padmaja Pawar, vice president of FITE, said, “Many employees get stranded due to waterlogging. Even as some firms have offered transport, their safety is still at stake.”