Making Our City A Better Place To Live In

Agenda Pune
Image Concept: Manjiri Jayesh

 

#Pune365Agenda  – There are burning issues in the city of Pune that must be tackled and brushing them under the carpet isn’t the solution any longer. We at Pune365 are committed to work toward a better tomorrow for Pune and it is with this ray of hope that we have identified a city agenda for 2018.

We sincerely hope we can catalyse collective thinking towards solutions rather than rave and rant on the problems the city is faced with.

Over the past few weeks, Team365 connected with over 375 citizens to curate the first list of issues that need immediate attention – 

Water Scarcity

Uneven and inadequate supply of water in the city had lead people to buy tankers of water to meet their daily requirements.

Clarifying this, Sneha Salian, dietician at a city hospital, says “Of lately, the water availability is quite decent, though few months ago it was a pain. When I returned from work, I had to deal with a water crisis. Some days the corporation water never came and we had to source drinking water and had to go to the house of our acquaintances to take a shower. Even if it came, the pressure was so low that the motor couldn’t pump it upto the storage tanks. This is a serious problem that needs to be permanently resolved.

Safety At Public Places

The recent fire accidents across the country have lead to avoidable deaths of many, yet public places like malls and theatres seem to neglect the safety regulations and norms.

The issue of fire safety at public places has become critical.

DVR Rao, National Society for Clean Cities says, “Safety of patrons in closed theatres/halls, where people congregate in large numbers, has become critical needing urgent action. The often-repeated reason of electrical short circuit as the cause of fire put out by fire fighting departments is totally untenable. A closer look at this by the PMC would help to avoid fire in overly crowded public buildings.”

Environment Impact

The changing environment conditions due to the increased air, water and soil pollution is severe. There is a continuous drop in the temperature in Pune due to the increasing pollution.

Speaking his concern, Madhav Patil, an environmentalist, shares, “No one is serious about making the rivers clean. Unauthorised construction on hill tops still continues unhindered. The lack of an adequate local transport system leads to the increasing number of vehicular pollution, sparking a deterioration of air quality.”

Woman and Child Safety

“Our parents have to keep a check on us every other hour after coming out of our houses.” The rapid increase in the number of crimes against women and children even in broad daylight cannot be overlooked. It is even unsafe to leave children to school or with a family acquaintance. Pune never felt so unsafe before.

“Continuous news reports showing the increased number of crimes in the city is horrifying,” says Shreya Solanki, content writer.

Solid Waste Management

Several dumping grounds in the city have already exhausted their capacity of storing non-recyclable waste that will take years to decompose. Segregation of waste at source is also a public concern.

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#Pune365City – Yes, there are several other issues that need to be highlighted and we will work with you dear readers in the pursuit of resolution. Over the next few months, each issue will be taken up in micro detail to enable effective management.

We invite experts and informed citizens to write in to us at editorial@pune365.com with effective tips and solution based feedback.

We in turn, promise to highlight your thoughts and suggestions to make our city of Pune a far better place to live in…

Loveleen Kaur