The past year saw Pune working towards becoming a smart metropolitan city with projects like the MahaMetro, Comprehensive Cycle Plan and Sustainably Smart Pune 2030 initiatives gathering steam.
However, the city still needs to go a long way to actually become sustainable across various city aspects say these prominent and well informed Puneites.
Sudha Menon is an Author, a Writing Coach and a Speaker on Gender and Diversity: I wish we had more pedestrian footpaths, better waste and traffic management, cycling tracks.
As a city of learning and culture we should have more public libraries, literary and cultural hubs for people. The level of corruption in the municipal authority is shocking. We have 400 plus residents of Clover Highlands suffering because of that for a couple of years now.
And oh, can they please stop mysteriously changing approved plans of existing societies without taking approval of residents? Unscrupulous builders around the city use this to further their greed at the expense of unsuspecting home owners.
Also, hopefully in 2019, we will finally get relief from hoardings on street sides that celebrate birthdays of minor thugs and such other pestilence and are an eye sore!
Vinita Deshmukh, Senior journalist and RTI activist: Really, I expect too many things from Pune in 2019, but would like to list some that I feel are urgently needed. Water crisis that is looming large on our city despite good rains is a cause of concern. How will the PMC alleviate it?
Pune must become a Helmet-mandatory city. To this effect, a legal notice has been sent to the Pune Police Commissioner.
I hope that more and more happy footpaths are made like the ones on Jangli Maharaj Road. I hope for many kilometres of continuous cycle tracks are made. I hope for strict action against indiscriminate and illegal tree felling.
I hope for a more organized traffic (does this seem Utopian though Police Commissioner Mr Venkatesham and DCP Traffic Tejaswi Satpute are doing commendable work).
And last not but not the least, I wish that every citizen does not take injustice lying down and gets proactive to fight for justice and peace, whether at the individual or social level.
Adv. Netra Prakash Bhog, Environmentalist says, “The city was blessed with one of the best environments, but with recent encroachment has lost the green nature of Pune. This year I expect the citizens to be more humble towards nature and there should be no development compromising the greenery of the city.”
We have always preserved our old heritages, then why step back when it comes to green Pune? Also, Pune University is known as one of the best one.
It should keep its prestige by enrolling more and more new courses in it, development of students should be the agenda.
While the most important should be Safety of citizens should be a priority and development without compromising environment, Bhog added.
Nikhil Kadam, Social Activist says,” The city has been developed enough and now the increasing developing is costing nature. We have already started to feel the ill effects of encroaching on green land of Pune.
The water scarcity is rising, the pollution levels are high, we’re losing the beautiful green cover. In 2019, am expecting that authorities focus on the above issues.
This, along with enhancing the public transport and safety in public transport and on roads in the city. Kadam Further shares, Illegal hoardings and boardings should be removed off carefully from the city. PMPML should be more safe and secure. Regular maintenance is a must.
While Pune Police has already made the use of helmets compulsory, even today there is 80 per cent of people seen without helmets. Such rules, drives should be constant not just for two days. Lane discipline in Pune will dilute the half traffic congestion. This should be also looked on priority.
Citizens should also develop some civic sense and be responsible citizens by helping the corporations by managing their own waste.
Co-existence and compassion are necessary to avoid poisoning of dogs, citizens can help the government in sterilising of the local dogs. Kadam added.
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#All views expressed in this article are those of the individual respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily to subscribe to them.
- #Hope2019: This Will Make Pune Truly Smart And Liveable - January 2, 2019
