Pune: Heavy Weight of PMC Tanker Exposes Flaws in Road Built Over Abandoned Well

Budhwar Peth, 21st September 2024: Yesterday, a tanker belonging to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fell into a sinkhole suddenly within the premises of Pune City Post Office. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities, but the incident was quite dangerous. The CCTV footage of the event has gone viral, prompting netizens to bombard the administration with questions. The opposition has also seized upon this issue.

Regarding the incident, PMC Commissioner Rajendra Bhosle explained that there was a well where the truck fell into the pit. A paver block road had been constructed by placing a slab over that well. The PMC’s drainage cleaning tanker, which is quite heavy, came onto that road, causing it to collapse under the weight of the tanker. As a result, the tanker fell into the pit in the afternoon.

The underlying reason for this sinkhole has now come to light. The Pune City Post Office building was erected in 1925, at which time there were wells and tanks in the vicinity. Currently, where Dagdusheth Ganapati Bappa is situated for the 10 days of Ganeshotsav, there was also a well. Additionally, there was a well built in the street in front of the Pune City Post Office. Opposite the Pune City Post Office is Shree Krishna Cinema, and locals claim there is also a well beneath it.

The Pune City Post Office building is a British construction, designed with wells and tanks in mind. However, to accommodate visitors, the PMC constructed a road in that area, not accounting for heavy vehicle traffic. Over time, as post trucks began to frequent the area, PMC placed a slab over the well during road repairs and constructed the paver block road without considering the weight of heavy vehicles. Consequently, locals have been discussing the weakening of the paver blocks due to the ongoing traffic of mail trucks.