Pune is one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs with skyscrapers touching the clouds. IT parks boom. New highways are launched every year. But just a few kilometres away, in Undri, Mohammadwadi, NIBM Annexe and Pisoli, citizens live a different story - one of neglect and struggle.
Sunil Ayer, a resident of NIBM, said, "Since October 2017, our neighbourhoods have been officially merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). With that came expectations of better roads, clean water, civic amenities, safety, and a chance to be treated as full citizens of Pune. What did we get instead? Taxes. Bills. And silence. For 8 long years, we’ve paid property taxes, water tax, garbage tax, and more, all without fail. But in return, we got nothing that the PMC proudly delivers in other parts of the city."
'We fetch water from private tankers'
"We fetch water from private tankers because there is no PMC pipeline. We walk and drive on broken private roads riddled with potholes, many without even streetlights. We watch our garbage pile up, sometimes for days because collection is irregular. We live in neighbourhoods with no parks, no public clinics, no community halls, and no sign of a Development Plan since the merger. Sewage flows in open drains or gets trapped in clogged stormwater channels because there are no sewage pipelines,” added Ayer.
Pradeep Masand, a resident of Undri, said, "Each day in Undri feels like a battle: no water to drink, no sewer lines, broken roads, no footpaths for senior citizens and darkness after dusk due to missing streetlights. We are citizens, not survivors. We deserve basic dignity."
'We consider ourselves a smart city with no basics provided'
Ayer added, “As a resident of Undri for the last 20+ years, I feel frustrated. Earlier, we were under the Gram Panchayat until 2017, paying much lesser property taxes (1/3 of what we pay today). We did feel that coming under PMC would bring immense benefits to residents, but to the contrary, things have become worse. The issues include property taxes to PMC, which are three times what we paid earlier with no benefits; no development plan for Undri; no water supply network; and roads filled with potholes are some of the key issues. It's ridiculous that, on one hand, nothing is delivered to tax-paying citizens who are fleeced for basics, and on the other hand, PMC dares to ask for timely tax payments. In today's world of free enterprise, you get what you pay for, and citizens are only seeking their rightful services from the body administering the area — the PMC. In addition, we consider ourselves a smart city with no basics provided. The frustration of citizens is at an all-time high, with neither PMC nor elected representatives visiting and seeing things on the ground. With civic elections around the corner, sops and promises would be offered by 'potential corporators' with no clue to solutions.”
'PMC's apathy towards us is glaring'
Jaymala Dhankikar, a social worker, said, "PMC's apathy towards Mohammadwadi and NIBM Annexe is glaring. From overflowing drains to trash-lined streets, the neglect is palpable. It's time for accountability, not excuses. The citizens of NIBM Annexe deserve better."
The residents and social activists claimed, “We live right near Khadakwasla Dam, yet we buy water like we live in a desert. In 2023, 1.10 TMC of water was released. In 2024, approx. 35,000 cusecs. In 2025, already over 20,000 cusecs — and we’re only halfway through the year. This water flows past us while our tanks are empty. What is the logic? What is the plan? Where is our share?"
'We are asking for basic urban dignity'
"We are not asking for luxury. We are asking for basic urban dignity: the right to drinkable water, drivable roads, functional streetlights, working sewage systems, and public spaces our children can play in. We are not begging. We are demanding: a Development Plan, long overdue; a PMC-managed water supply pipeline; the repair of internal roads; streetlights, sanitation, and safety; encroachment removal from roads like Kad Nagar; garbage collection that works; community spaces that help us grow; and most importantly, a government that listens," they added.
