Pune: Unchecked construction activity turns Balewadi’s roads into two very different hazards depending on the season: choking cement dust in summer and slippery mud and slurry once the rains arrive. For residents like Sachin Junankar, the danger became personal recently when his two-wheeler skidded on a muddy stretch near his home while dropping his son off at class.“The entire road next to Kunal Apsiree society till almost Dasara Chowk is muddy because the heavy vehicles with muddy wheels, carrying uncovered construction material on their back, are travelling to and fro from a nearby under-construction site. A few meters away, near Laxmi Mata temple, there is another construction site, and the road till the temple or even after is also in a poor condition. Due to rain, the matter has worsened, and the roads have become sludgy and slippery, dangerous for pedestrians and two-wheeler riders,” Junankar said.Mud from these sites gets carried onto public roads by heavy vehicular movement. Residents complain that builders don’t cover construction sites to prevent dust from spreading, and routinely violate MPCB guidelines — such as washing vehicle tyres before leaving site — leaving roads unsafe.Ashish Kotamkar, a member of the Balewadi Welfare Federation, said they had submitted a letter of grievances, including traffic, incomplete roads and pollution caused by builders violating anti-pollution laws, to the PMC three months ago. “Construction activities are going on everywhere. The problem is not lack of laws and guidelines, but that builders don’t follow anti-pollution rules. During summer, Balewadi was engulfed in cement dust because the construction sites were not secured, the cover is not sprayed with water. When heavy vehicles leave these sites, their tyres are supposed to be washed, which is not done. This is the reason that mud is carried onto roads.”Aundh-Baner ward office’s assistant municipal commissioner Vijay Naikal said he would ask his staff to visit the areas and, if builders are found in violation of the MPCB norms, notices will be served on Monday and actionas per law will follow.
