PARTICIPATORY BUDGET: Suburbs need roads, peths sanitation

Improvement in road conditions is the most common demand that citizens suggested through the participatory budget exercise of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last year. In an analysis carried out by city-based NGO Janwani of all online suggestions filed by citizens for the 2013-14 budget, residents of suburbs demanded good quality roads,  while those of peth areas demanded improvement in waste management and public toilets.

Last year, 335 residents filed online suggestions for the participatory budget for 2013-14. They demanded various public works in their areas which Janwani analysed.

They have come up with a report on the suggestions and approved works in eight ward offices of the PMC.

Naim Keruwala, project consultant for Janwani, said, “There were 3,300 suggestions for the participatory budget including 335 online suggestions. We decided to take these 335 suggestions as a sample size to study the demands of residents and approved works through the participatory budget.”

These suggestions came to PMC from residents of Aundh, Kasba, Vishrambaug Wada, Dhankawadi, Tilak Road, Ghole Road, Sahakarnagar, Dhole Patil Road and Warje Karvenagar ward offices.

In Aundh, maximum suggestions were for improvement of road conditions, which included tarring of roads, patchwork and installation of dividers. Improvement in water supply was the second priority for residents of Aundh. 

“The total allocation made for Aundh ward office in the budget was Rs2.5 crore of which Rs1.18 crore was allocated for road works,” Naim said.

In Warje Karvenagar area, citizens were more concerned with poor traffic arrangements and hence more than 50 per cent of the suggestions were for pavements, cycle tracks and traffic signals.
The PMC allocated Rs2.5 crore for this ward of which Rs89 lakh were for road repairs including tarring, repairing and concretising. Rs28 lakh were allocated for improving pavements.

When it comes to peth areas, citizens have different problems compared to those in suburbs. Naim said, “In the peth areas, the roads are narrow and not many heavy vehicles ply there. So they do not have problems with road conditions. But they have problems regarding sanitation and waste management, which they have suggested to PMC to improve.”

In Kasba Vishrambaug areas, 67 per cent of the total suggestions given to the PMC through the participatory budget were for public toilets. Along with better roads, the residents of Dhankawadi area suggested better garbage management and installation of mechanical biodegradable waste converters. The citizens demanded public toilets in Janata Vasahat area.