PUNE:
Encroachment on a footpath
near
Jyotsna Jagtap
's home in Bibvewadi was causing much trouble for pedestrians. A massive cement pipe had been occupying a large portion of the space for months and citizens were having trouble walking.
Angered by the
civic apathy
and fed up with the inconvenience, Jagtap decided to download the TOI Citizen Reporter app and the photograph was published by TOI as part of a report on June 25.
Jagtap's report soon caught the attention of the encroach ing pipe's owners -the
Pune Municipal Corporation
's drainage wing. Within a few days, it was removed from the footpath and set aside by department officials who were still carrying out drainage work in the area.
For Jagtap, and scores of other pedestrians who were frequently using the footpath, the removal of the pipe came as a huge relief. Evening strolls could now continue. “It was causing absolute inconvenience. And I'm glad it has been moved out of the way. I'm extremely satisfied with the TOI Citizen Reporter app and I plan to use it often," said Jagtap.
Civic officials have also promised to move the pipe from the area. “We had to carry out emergency drainage work in the area to prevent a repeat of last year's floods. Pipes like these need cranes to be moved and we will arrange for it to be picked up soon," said Jagdish Khanore, a senior engineer with the PMC's drainage department.
An alert had to be issued in parts of the city following heavy rain in the catchment last year. Water released from Khadakwasla dam into the Mutha affected the low-lying localities. The Mutha had swelled, which submerged Baba Bhide bridge in the Deccan Gymkhana area.
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