Pune: The Viman Nagar Citizens Forum has raised a strong protest against the ongoing neglect of a key stretch of VIP Airport Road near Sanjay Park slums in Pune. In a strongly worded email to top officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Traffic Police, the Forum has demanded swift and visible action to address the decade-long issues plaguing the area.
According to the complaint, the 400-metre stretch leading to Pune Airport via the Ramwadi underpass remains littered with garbage, construction debris, and illegally parked vehicles—despite being designated as a “No Parking/No Halting” zone. The forum labelled the situation a “persistent eyesore” that tarnishes the image of the city for both domestic and international visitors.
“It’s shameful to receive guests with such filth and chaos, especially in a country that upholds the value of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’,” wrote Qaneez Sukhrani, the forum’s convenor, in her complaint.
The letter, marked as urgent, was addressed to several civic and police officials, including the Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Zone 1, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of Nagar Road Ward, engineers from the Road Department, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), and Additional Municipal Commissioners. Key leaders such as Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, and local MLA Bapu Pathare were also marked in the communication.
Sukhrani further criticized the administration for its inaction and poor enforcement of basic civic and traffic regulations, questioning whether such neglect warrants escalation to the national level. “We have already taken this matter to the Prime Minister’s Office. If even basic civic issues need PMO involvement, it raises serious questions about local governance,” she stated.
The Citizens Forum has given the authorities a one-week deadline to initiate a clean-up, demanding regular photographic updates as evidence of progress.
As of now, no official reply has been received from PMC or the Traffic Police. Local residents and commuters continue to wait for concrete measures to restore order and cleanliness to this critical city corridor.
