Ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls, The Free Press Journal is doing extensive ground coverage of all the eight constituencies in Pune City. Starting with the Hadapsar Assembly seat, this newspaper has begun the journey from today. Here, the people have expressed that they will vote for the candidate who promises to fulfill their basic needs. They raised their voice over inadequate infrastructure and public services, urging candidates to prioritise their needs.
Nitin Gavade, a political activist, said, "It has been several since Hadapsar came under PMC. But still, people are suffering from lack of basic infrastructure like water supply, roads, and good drainage channels. The existing canals in the jurisdiction haven't been cleaned for many years. At Gadital Chowk, the road has been fully encroached upon and it takes more than an hour to cross it. The encroachment department of PMC is deliberately ignoring the encroachment on the road, causing severe traffic jams."
Balasaheb Tribhuvan, resident of Manjiri, said, "We are regularly getting tax notifications but the government hasn't provided any basic facilities. No water, no electricity, and not even a road in the Manjiri area of Hadapsar. On what basis we will vote is a major concern. PMC is sending us tax bills. The elected candidate should take cognizance of the working style of PMC."
Neha Kotwal, a homemaker, expressed that the biggest problem is garbage and pollution in the area. "Garbage collectors do not visit our area regularly. People are forced to throw it on the road. The Keshav Nagar area has become too much of a menace; people are forced to dump their waste on the road. Ladki Bahin Yojna is a totally wrong scheme because the domestic materials are too expensive and prices are increased by the government itself. They have increased the price of the materials and are providing ₹1,500 per month; that is deception, nothing else. It's like giving with one hand and taking double from the other."
Rahman Shaikh, a shopkeeper, stated, "Due to the failure of proper drainage chains at many places, drainage water flows openly on the road or collects at points that lead to mosquito breeding. Every political party promises to act on it but nothing happens. Yet we are getting taxed by the government."
Sunil Suryawanshi, a senior citizen, said, "We will vote for those who are ready to solve our problems. Residents up till Z corner are getting PMC water only. Apart from that, people are forced to depend upon private tankers. Most of the private tankers are owned by local politicians; this is also because of delayed PMC water in the area."
Who is contesting in Hadapsar?
Ajit Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has renominated incumbent MLA Chetan Tupe from the Hadapsar Assembly seat. He will lock horns with NCP-SP's Pune City Chief Prashant Jagtap. The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) has announced Afroz Mulla as its candidate from Hadapsar. Additionally, Maharashtra Muslim Conference (MMC) National Convener Zubair Memon has also announced that he will contest the elections from the Hadapsar seat. This Assembly seat has a sizeable Muslim population, and that could be the deciding factor.
