Pune: Residents of Punawale, Tathawade and nearby areas have raised concerns about the quality of a newly constructed service road along Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway (NH-48), alleging that potholes have appeared within a month of the stretch being opened to traffic.The service road, which was being widened by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) from 12m to 24m on both sides of the highway, is a key access route for thousands of commuters travelling between Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. While construction is still underway on several stretches, residents claimed defects have already begun surfacing at multiple locations.“The service road has been built after years of persistent efforts and struggle. It is disappointing to see potholes appearing within just a month of its completion,” said Tathawade resident Vitthal Baral. He said that unless the contractor is held accountable, public money will just be wasted and residents may once again have to wait years for repairs.Another resident, Sumit Dhage of Punawale, said regular commuters have been closely following the progress of the project as they commute on this stretch every day. “The overall quality of the road work looks worrying. At several stretches, the workmanship appears visibly poor,” he said.The project is still under construction, with work progressing whenever rainfall permits. During last year’s monsoon, the service road remained severely waterlogged and riddled with potholes, resulting in long traffic snarls during peak hours.NHAI, however, attributed the damage to motorists using the newly laid pavement before it was officially opened. “Unauthorised movement of local commuters before the completion of the mandatory curing period led to defects at a few locations. We have appealed to the public not to use freshly laid pavement-quality concrete (PQC) stretches to avoid such incidents. The defects will be rectified immediately,” a senior NHAI official told TOI.Residents disputed the explanation. Baral and Dhage said the adjoining old service road becomes heavily waterlogged during rains, forcing some motorists to use the newly constructed stretch even before it was opened. “That may have contributed to the problem, but it cannot be the sole reason. The new road is at a much higher level than the existing one, making it difficult for most vehicles to access while construction was underway,” Dhage pointed out.Commuters further alleged that NHAI failed to adequately barricade the under-construction road to prevent unauthorised entry. “Proper barricading to stop vehicles from entering the unfinished stretch was missing at several locations,” said another resident, choosing anonymity.Local corporator Reshma Bhujbal blamed delays in shifting underground utilities, including a gas pipeline, for persistent accumulation of water along the corridor. “The slow pace of utility relocation by the civic body and other agencies is causing severe waterlogging. The stretch near Sandip Hotel here gets inundated during rains, leading to traffic congestion with vehicle queues stretching for several km,” she said.Rahul Kate, a BJP functionary in the area, said he had previously raised concerns about the quality of the ongoing work, following which NHAI officials carried out some rectifications. “But when a service road designed to last 10 years gets damaged within a month, it leaves no doubt that there are serious quality concerns,” he said.
