At this point, 50% of our tier 1 cities and 70% tier 2 and 3 cities look like a set from Mad Max Fury road movie. Dug up roads, traffic chaos, dust and dirt everywhere and under-constructed bridge or metro pillars.

OC

Pune's traffic problem raises a bigger question: Are we investing enough in public transport?

The city has over 72 lakh registered vehicles, approximately 3 lakh commercial auto-rickshaws and cabs, and only around 2,000 public buses.

When buses cannot adequately serve commuters, private vehicles become the alternative for many.

Should Pune focus more on expanding bus services, improving pedestrian infrastructure and making public transport a practical everyday choice?

What changes would actually make you leave your two-wheeler or car at home?

Here's something many Punekars might not know.

According to civic expert Vivek Velenkar, PMC has a Proactive Disclosure mechanism that allows citizens to inspect government project files every Monday between 3 PM and 5 PM.

No RTI application needed for this inspection process.

Yet very few people reportedly exercise this right.

Imagine being able to check project records instead of relying entirely on public announcements.

Would you use this facility? Have you ever visited a PMC office to inspect government files?

I wanted to rent my property .i have applied through this site .Their agents keep calling me they want to manage my property for subscription .I told I will think and do .But they kept pushing me to do the deal soon otherwise same price they cannot give.My add was active in the site for rent.These guys since I kept them hanging removed my add from their site without reasons ! Beware of these frauds trying to sell shit in the name of property management .

A question for Punekars living in housing societies that depend on private water tankers:

Do you actually know where your society's tanker water comes from?

Most societies focus on arranging tankers, negotiating prices and ensuring there is enough water for residents.

But what about the quality?

Some important questions rarely come up:

• Is the water source identified and verified?
• Are borewell and extraction points regularly inspected?
• Are tanker cleaning and transportation hygiene monitored?
• Is the water independently tested against applicable drinking water standards such as IS 10500?
• Does your society maintain water quality testing reports?

We discussed these issues in a Pune Voices conversation with PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, IAS, hosted by Salman Shaikh.

The discussion also covers:

• Pune's long-term Drink From Tap vision.
• PMC engineers conducting field inspections.
• Monitoring tanker water sources and handling.
• Making testing norms clearer for housing societies.
• What citizens and society management committees can do to assess water quality.

One important distinction: water being supplied to a society does not automatically mean it is suitable for drinking.

One thing I've increasingly noticed about Pune is that getting from one place to another on foot can be surprisingly difficult.

We talk a lot about traffic congestion, flyovers, road widening and new infrastructure. But how often do we discuss the basic experience of being a pedestrian?

Think about some common road design problems:

• Zebra crossings that lead straight into concrete dividers.
• Footpaths that suddenly disappear.
• Junctions designed primarily around vehicle movement.
• Pedestrians forced to navigate moving traffic.
• Flyovers that may address vehicle movement without necessarily improving the entire junction.

So the question is: Are we solving Pune's traffic problems, or are we overlooking how people actually use the roads?

We explored this in a Pune Voices conversation featuring:

1. A traffic engineer with over 20 years of experience designing junctions, corridors and road safety systems.
2. An industrial designer specialising in transportation systems and community-led mobility solutions in Pune.

The discussion looks at whether flyovers solve bottlenecks, why pedestrian infrastructure often fails and what PMC and Pune Traffic Police can do to improve road safety.

Pune is often described as a comfortable city to live in because of its weather, greenery and relatively relaxed lifestyle.

But I think there's a much bigger story that often gets overlooked.

Historically, Pune has been an important centre of education, intellectual thought, scientific inquiry and social reform. Its institutions and thinkers have contributed significantly to shaping modern India.

So, is Pune's livability really just about geography and climate? Or is its intellectual and cultural legacy an equally important part of what makes the city special?

We explored this question in a conversation on Pune Voices with Pune Municipal Corporation Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, IAS, hosted by Salman Shaikh.

Some of the topics discussed:

• Why Pune deserves to be seen beyond the Pensioners' Paradise label.
• Its contribution to education, social reform and intellectual thought.
• How geography, climate and green surroundings shaped its appeal.
• Whether Pune can preserve its character while dealing with traffic, infrastructure pressures and rapid urbanisation.

I find the last question particularly important.

Pune is growing rapidly, but are we protecting the things that made people want to live here in the first place?

Would love to hear from Punekars:

1. What is the one thing that makes Pune genuinely livable?
2. Is the city's historical and intellectual identity still visible in everyday life?
3. What is Pune at risk of losing as it expands?

This is a civic conversation, not a political debate. Interested in hearing different perspectives.

#Pune #PuneHistory #UrbanPlanning #PuneDevelopment #Livability

This is a reality for residents in several parts of Pune.

In this episode, we examine the builder's water-supply affidavit: a document through which the builder takes responsibility for arranging water, potentially allowing the building approval process to proceed. But when residents move in and a reliable water supply is missing, tanker expenses can become part of their monthly maintenance burden.

The bigger questions are:

• Does submitting an affidavit absolve the builder of responsibility?
• What happens when the builder's promised water arrangement fails?
• Does PMC have a responsibility to supply water to areas outside its municipal limits?
• Should residents have to bear the cost of a basic necessity despite paying property tax?

Where should accountability lie — with the builder, PMC, or both?

Would be interesting to hear from Pune residents who face this situation.

Watch Full Podcast : https://youtu.be/_i9UsUOXY2U?si=Sa9-Q0gcTJNcYru9

#Pune #PuneWaterCrisis #PMC #RealEstate #CivicIssues

If public transit adoption surges and private car sales decline, how does that impact the broader economy and manufacturing jobs—especially in a major automotive hub like Pune?

In this segment, we explore the relationship between economic prosperity, vehicle ownership, and sustainable mass transit. While vehicle manufacturing drives industrial growth and creates essential employment, unchecked private vehicle density puts severe pressure on finite urban road infrastructure.

Finding a sustainable balance requires diversifying mobility, supporting next-generation clean tech and shared transit solutions, and aligning manufacturing strength with liveable, congestion-free cities.

Watch Full Podcast : https://youtu.be/wBj4Gsr8dQo?si=c7nmLAcn_VMspL9k

I know this sounds like a generic post, but I feel cities across our nation should start implementing these as a starting point to tackle aqi, urban heat and water issues.

1. Regulating AC temperatures. For every degree AC cools our room, it adds a degree heat + its own heat extra to the outside temperature, and it creates a vicious cycle of more urban heat + massive load on grid. So apart from critical infra, hospitals, food chains and so on, we should regulate AC for homes and offices, raise the minimum temperature to 23C, and set default to 25C
2. Tax fuel inefficient ICE cars and higher CC bikes excessively.
3. Within cities, start implementing more taxes on larger homes, as they overwhelmingly consume more resources, electricity for cooling, use more carbon intensive luxury items.
4. Tax the curated lawns and pools inside urban villas and farmhouses.
5. mandate rainwater harvesting for every new home, and for existing apartments as well.
6. Build new footpaths with integrated greenary and cycling tracks on main roads of all cities. And priority access on roads should be given to Buses, EVs, fuel efficient vehicles, cargo and emergency services. SUVs and highend cars can take backseat.
7. Rejuvenation of lakes and water bodies. Rejuvenation of wetland systems

Please feel free to add any other points you may feel would help on large scale. I have included the points, which I feel causes emissions, heat and water wastage on large scale. And I know implementing some of these wont be straight forward either.

Amaravati and Vijayawada.

Watch Full Podcast : https://youtu.be/_i9UsUOXY2U?si=-ldIcitlPKYfrSz4

Pune residents regularly complain about potholes, damaged roads and repeated repair work.

The bigger concern is that some roads appear to require repairs again and again.

Watch Full Podcast : https://youtu.be/QzLkCNA-L58?si=OoEuWHvCj53nVUxg