Built by Nanasaheb Peshwa at the foothills of Parvati, Saras Baug is a large garden in the heart of Pune city. Once a major tourist attraction, its deteriorating condition has raised serious concerns among citizens, highlighting the administration's neglect in maintaining the site.
A 63-year-old, Srikanth Kakade, who goes on a morning walk at Saras Baug daily, highlighted that the main entrance from where one enters the garden is in pathetic condition. "The entire road leading toward the main gate is encroached by food stalls, and worse, they have plastered the footpath to increase the area for placing their tables and chairs, due to which the road has narrowed down," he added.
"The eateries and food stalls have encroached on the footpath and they have even encroached areas beyond the footpath to fit their tables and chairs. The worst is there's no proper drainage, so at night while closing their shops, they wash their stalls and the dirty water just flows on the road, making the entire road dirty. It's not only an eyesore to tourists but also poses a danger for vehicles passing by. The road is already narrowed due to encroachment, and in the remaining space, people park their two-wheelers, which makes the situation even worse. I go on a morning walk to breathe in fresh air, but all I get is a dirty and stinky smell," added Kakade.
Shirish Shinde, a resident of Guruwar Peth, who goes to Saras Baug every day to offer his prayers to Saras Baug Ganpati, shared his experience: "That place is holy and still there's so much dirt. The dog population in the garden has increased; there are so many dogs there, they bite and scare the tourists and visitors. The entire road is encroached by shop owners and there's no space for people to walk freely. The authorities should take action against the defaulters. What impression are we giving to people who are coming to visit this garden? It should be clean and tidy so that one can feel the nature and its beauty."
Sarang Yadwarkar, a social activist, said, "The encroachment of the footpath is not an area-specific problem, but it's everywhere, wherever you go in Pune. In Kalyani Nagar, the footpath has been encroached on for more than a month."
"These water supply pipes have been lying for months on another footpath at Kalyani Nagar. The pipes belong to a firm, who are the contractors for a 24x7 water supply scheme. I even filed a complaint with PMC guys against this. Who will be responsible in case of a mishap? PMC or that firm or Pune police or the citizens?" said Yadhvadhkar.
A PMC official said, "The action is underway; we are removing the pipes from the footpath and also we take actions on a regular basis regarding footpath encroachment."
