UNDER CRITICISM for delaying the implementation of projects under the Smart City Mission, the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (PSCDCL) launched two of its projects — placemaking sites in Balewadi and Smart City road in Aundh — on Wednesday 18th OCT 2017.
The two placemaking sites in Baner and Balewadi are being developed on the theme of e-learning and skill development. The site includes a solar panel seating, laptop seating, smart box, semi-covered multi-purpose pavilion, which can be used for workshops and training sessions, open forum discussions, presentations and an amphitheatre.
The PSCDCL has planned placemaking sites on various themes of art and culture, skill development and e-learning, leisure and meditation, innovation and ecology. The Smart Road project, on 1.5 km stretch from Brehmen Circle to Parihar Chowk, was also inaugurated. The project has been redesigned as per the urban design guidelines. Meanwhile, the Aundh Baner Balewadi Pashan Vikas Manch have objected to the “wasteful expenditure” on the projects, which, they claimed, have no connection with ground realities.
The manch has also written to Guardian Minister Girish Bapat. “The electronic signages put up on various roads have no utility or purpose. We did not want lakhs of our taxpayers’ money to be spent on signages. This is wastage of public funds,” the statement read. It added that the Smart City road from Bremen Chowk to Parihar Chowk is an example of how funds have been wasted on “cosmetic touch ups”. There are hundreds of traffic violations on this section daily, making commuting all the more difficult, stated the manch.
Last modified: Monday November 4th, 2019
