With the Maharashtra Assembly polls just around the corner, residents of Pune have drafted their own set of demands as part of "citizens' manifestos" to highlight basic issues, and have urged candidates to address them in their manifestos.
Key concerns dominating these charter of demands include lack of proper water supply, poor road infrastructure, encroachments, traffic snarls, improper sewage systems, noise pollution, frequent power outages, and the need for the implementation of development plans (DPs).
The polls will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
Residents of Mohammadwadi and Undri in south Pune, under the aegis of a local welfare forum, have created their own manifesto to address the long-standing civic issues related to inadequate water supply, frequent power outages, traffic problems, waste disposal and management, encroachments, and lack of police patrolling at night.
They claim that more than 18 years have passed without reliable basic amenities in more than 60 housing societies across the area, especially when it comes to water supply.
With no piped water from the Pune Municipal Corporation, these societies have been forced to rely on private water tankers, collectively spending crores of rupees annually.
Sunil Aiyer, resident of Nyati Chesterfield, a high-end bungalow society perched on a hilltop in Undri, claimed he has lived in the area for more than 20 years without seeing an appreciable improvement in basic amenities.
"There are no proper roads, no water supply, no continuous power, no open spaces or grounds for children and the elderly. We've followed up with all authorities, including the civic body, lawmakers, MLAs and MPs, but unfortunately, our efforts have been in vain. To add to our woes, there have been no civic elections for a long time," Aiyer said.
Frustrated, residents also considered boycotting the polls, even putting up "no water, no vote" boards outside their societies, but eventually decided to give candidates a chance to address their concerns by presenting them the manifesto.
"It's been 20 years without adequate water supply, forcing us to collectively spend crores on private tanker operators who dominate the area, leaving us with no choice," Aiyer claimed.
Another local, Sunil Koloti, a key member of the Mohammadwadi-Undri Residents Welfare Development Foundation, also rued that they have been paying taxes to the civic body while living without basic amenities for 18 years.
"Residents of Mohammadwadi and Undri are urgently calling for the basic infrastructure improvements, as the area suffers from critical deficiencies in municipal water, roads, sewage and street lighting. Despite over 18 years of residential growth and significant tax contributions, these neighbourhoods are still without fundamental services," he claimed.
Vaidehi Suryavanshi, another resident, said they have presented their manifesto to the two local Purandar seat candidates - Sambhaji Zende of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and Vijay Shivtare of the Shiv Sena (faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde), urging them to prioritise these issues.
The residents have also invited Congress' sitting MLA from Purandar seat, Sanjay Jagtap, for discussions.
Shivtare's daughter, who accepted the manifesto on his behalf, said both long-term and short-term solutions to the water supply issue were discussed.
"For the Development Plan, we'll coordinate with the civic body and local representatives to resolve it in the coming months. Besides water and DP issues, road conditions, and power outages are also problems we aim to address within a month or two," she added.
NCP candidate and former IAS officer Zende noted the impact of rapid urbanisation and population pressure on the city.
"The Development Plan for the extended city is not yet prepared. Once it is implemented, issues related to roads, water and other infrastructure will be resolved," he said.
"Regarding the water problem, the PMC must address it, as water is available, but proper distribution is missing. I've consistently raised this issue, and we have agitated for it. The municipal corporation has promised to look into these issues after the elections," he added.
Residents of Kalyani Nagar on Sunday organised a "Know Your Candidates" meet, where people discussed their concerns and presented a comprehensive charter of demands focused on infrastructure improvements, water supply, waste management, traffic, pollution control and governance to poll nominees from the Vadgaon Sheri constituency, under which the area falls.
"Besides pressing for infrastructure issues like lack of proper roads, traffic management, stormwater drains and sewage lines, we demanded a tanker-free Kalyani Nagar. We also requested that no liquor licenses be issued in residential areas," Team Swachh Kalyani Nagar (citizens' forum) chairperson Rachna Agarwal said.
In the Kothrud constituency, citizens of Baner, Balewadi and Pashan areas have been taking feedback from people to compile a charter of demands which would be handed over to the local candidates.
"This document will serve as a tool to hold our elected representatives accountable, ensuring the policies they implement truly reflect the needs and desires of our community," said advocate SO Mashalkar, a member of the local residents' forum.
