A new platform for activism & business

The ‘Save Pune Hills/ Biodiversity Park’ is another campaign that has been added in the causes list on Facebook. The page has 2,713 members,who lend support to the protest against the proposed change to allow 4 per cent construction in Pune biodiversity parks by the state government.

Government institutes such as the Pune Traffic Police (PTP) and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) have also initiated Facebook campaigns to solve the issues of the common man. Within two and a half months,the PTP page has become popular among 9,774 Puneites,while the PMPML page was liked by 394 people within a week of its creation on Facebook. “We are focusing on the Pune youth as they are constantly connected on social networking sites. Youngsters can also interact with us on civic issues,” said DCP (Traffic) Manoj Patil.

“Social networking is the easiest platform for the youth to participate in such campaigns. It is not just about complaints and the action taken; we also get to understand the issues faced by the traffic police,their limitations and working style,” said Chinmay Marathe,a member of the PTP Facebook page.

The members of Pune Technical Coalition for the Pune Metro — a group formed to look into the Metro proposal by associations working in the field of architecture,construction,urban design,urban planning and environmen — have initiated the debate on elevated Metro on Facebook.

The cause ‘Save Pune from elevated Metro rail disaster’ has become a platform for experts to discuss the pros and cons of Metro.

Facebook is also gaining popularity among various voluntary organisations,such as Save Pune Traffic Movement,youth2youth and Janwani that have been running various short-term debates and campaigns on the website.

Lastly,it is also about business. Entrepreneurs and owners of small start-ups from Pune have formed the ‘Pune Open Coffee Club’ on Facebook,an informal group of more than 2,000 entrepreneurs.