PUNE: The work related to strengthening and reconstruction of culverts on Ambil Odha is in the final stages in Sahakaranagar area.
The civic administration expects to complete the work by month-end and reopen the roads for vehicles.
The roads stretches were closed to vehicular traffic over the past few months. Alternate routes are available for commuters. However, there is a demand from motorists to complete the pending work to avoid detours.
The work of strengthening and reconstruction of culverts and bridges on Ambil Odha was taken up after the 2019 floods. Three culverts have been reconstructed so far in the Sahakaranagar area, while two more at Aranyeshwar and Mitramandal chowk will be ready by December-end.
PMC officials said, “The work was delayed for some days due to technical reasons and the pandemic. However, now they have been pushed on the fast track. We will open a road at Aranyeshwar in the next 15 days. The slab work has almost been completed. Ongoing work at Mitramandal will be completed by the end of December.”
Some portion of culverts and roads had washed away at some locations during the 2019 flooding.
The PMC drafted a plan to reconstruct the culverts, which were not in good condition and unable to handle huge flow of water. During a survey, 21 culverts were identified for repairs and strengthening.
The work, including conversion of pipe culverts into box-type culverts and widening of existing structures, has been estimated at Rs40crore. The work has been taken up in a phased manner.
Local residents said that besides strengthening of culverts and roads, the administration should also complete the pending work of construction of safety wall along the nullahs.
Ashok Joshi, a local resident, said that the PMC should also set aside funds for regular maintenance of culverts and cleaning of nullahs. “Such work is only taken up ahead of monsoon, and done haphazardly,” he added.
A private agency PriMove had identified 77 illegal constructions along the Ambil Odha that had caused the devasting flash floods on September 25, 2019.
According to the city’s development plan of 1987, the width of the Ambil Odha was fixed at 18 metres and permission of construction was given accordingly.
After the Pune-based firm submitted its report, the civic body issued notices to all the owners of these encroachments.
The private agency had taken into account 20m as the width of the stream while conducting the survey.
