Take Citizens’ Issues Seriously, Expedite Pending Works : Abhishek Barane

Newly appointed engineers told to understand PCMC’s geography, ongoing projects and civic infrastructure on ground

Pimpri : Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) administration must adopt a more proactive and time-bound approach to address citizens’ day-to-day grievances, Standing Committee chairman Abhishek Barane said on Thursday, directing civic engineers to expedite pending works and focus on resolving issues within their respective jurisdictions.

Barane held a meeting with PCMC engineers and officials to review civic issues, ongoing projects and pending works across the city. He specifically asked newly appointed engineers not to restrict themselves to office-based functioning, but to familiarise themselves with the city’s geographical layout, major infrastructure projects, incomplete works and the reasons behind delays by visiting the sites personally.

“Engineers must understand the city through field visits and identify practical solutions to citizens’ problems. Not a single genuine civic grievance should remain unanswered,” Barane said. He said that although the model code of conduct currently in force for the Pune Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituency election places restrictions on certain policy-level decisions, routine civic services and action on citizens’ day-to-day problems should not be affected.

Focus on post-monsoon civic problems

Barane directed the engineering departments to give priority to civic problems that have emerged or worsened during the monsoon. These include pothole-ridden and damaged roads, road repairs, drainage-related issues, overflowing stormwater lines, maintenance of public gardens, pruning of dangerous tree branches and disruption in water supply. He asked officials to assess the nature and urgency of such complaints and ensure that remedial measures are initiated without unnecessary delay. “Restrictions imposed by the election code should not become a reason for keeping routine civic issues pending. Wherever action is permissible, the concerned departments should act promptly,” he said.

Review stalled projects separately

Barane also instructed officials to prepare a separate review of PCMC projects that are currently under execution, incomplete or stalled for various reasons. Officials have been asked to identify the specific reasons behind delays and coordinate with the concerned departments to remove administrative, technical or other hurdles wherever possible. He said projects should not remain pending merely because coordination between departments has not taken place. “Every ongoing, incomplete and stalled project should be examined individually. The reasons for the delay must be identified and appropriate measures taken to bring the work back on track,” Barane said.

Field knowledge essential for newly appointed engineers

Barane emphasised that newly appointed engineers should develop a detailed understanding of the civic infrastructure in their respective areas. He asked them to personally inspect major roads, ongoing infrastructure projects, water-supply pipelines, drainage networks, gardens and other important civic facilities. According to Barane, such field-level understanding would enable engineers to respond more effectively to complaints and take quicker decisions when problems arise. “Engineers should know their jurisdiction not only through files and office records but also through actual field visits. Understanding the ground situation will help them identify problems early and find practical solutions,” he said.

Citizens must remain the administration’s priority

Barane said the citizen should remain at the centre of municipal administration and that every engineer and official must regularly assess the problems in their respective jurisdictions. He urged officials to take ownership of pending grievances instead of allowing complaints to remain unresolved or moving them from one department to another. “Officials should not merely keep citizens’ complaints pending. They must take responsibility for finding solutions and ensure that issues are addressed within a reasonable timeframe,” he said. The meeting was attended by PCMC engineers and concerned officials from various departments.