Despite being among the fastest-growing residential areas within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, Dhanori and Lohegaon continue to suffer from a severe lack of basic civic amenities. Following these longstanding issues, the Dhanori Lohegaon Residents Association (DLRA) held a protest on Monday on Bharat Mata Road. Residents during the protest on Monday. (HT PHOTO)

According to the residents, issues including broken roads and irregular water supply, inadequate sewage systems, poor garbage management, lack of public transport, and unlit streets have made their day-to-day lives difficult. The protest was led by DLRA president Girish Jaiwal.

Manojkumar Pandey, an area resident, said, “The citizens living in and around the Bharat Mata Road in Dhanori and commuters are the worst hit. The PMC had declared this road a DP road, but the development of this road has been stalled due to land acquisition. PMC claims they are having a discussion with PMRDA for the land, and this has been going on for years. Meanwhile, the citizens continue to suffer despite paying lakhs of taxes to the civic body.”

Jaiwal said, “This is not just a one-day symbolic protest. We want PMC to take serious note of the problems and act immediately. Thousands of families in Dhanori and Lohegaon have been facing these hardships for years.”

Responding to the protest, PMC deputy commissioner, Madhav Jagtap visited the protest site and assured residents that their concerns would be addressed. He promised to call a joint meeting in the coming days with local landowners, society representatives, and members of the residents association to study the issues and come up with a concrete action plan. Following this the protest was called off, said a citizen on request of anonymity.

Jagtap said, “Some portions of the land are in the process of being acquired or yet to be acquired, only after which roads can be developed in a couple of locations. We will work towards long-term solutions after discussions with all stakeholders. The issues will be solved at the earliest.”