Voters must ask what a candidate will complete in their ward, not what sounds good on a poster: Shyamala Desai

One of Desai’s long-standing concerns remains unaddressed — the absence of a Central Development Committee within the PMC. “Roads, sewage, solid waste, environment, fire, zoning, electricity, gas, and communication departments all function in silos,” she says. “Before approving any new road, these departments should coordinate and give a written commitment that the road will not be dug up for at least one year.”

She suggests a practical solution adopted by other cities. “When PMC builds or widens roads, why not lay 3- or 4-inch plastic conduits underneath? These can later carry electric lines, communication cables, or gas lines without digging up fresh roads,” she says, adding that resistance often stems from departments unwilling to share budgets or authority.

Beyond systemic planning issues, Desai has worked at the neighbourhood level through PMC’s mohalla committees, enabling residents to flag local problems. As secretary of the Model Colony Parisar Sudharna Samitee, she has repeatedly raised concerns over illegal constructions, encroachments, road safety violations and misuse of public spaces, often relying on documentation, site inspections and sustained follow-ups.

She also draws attention to Pune’s underutilised civic assets. “This is a metro city with more than 60 crematoriums, nearly 70 vegetable markets, over 300 municipal schools, 200-plus gardens, playgrounds, and close to 80 swimming pools,” she says. “The infrastructure exists. What’s missing is management, upkeep, and accountability.” Under her guidance, citizens helped restore 49 crematoriums — work she notes could have been carried out more efficiently by elected representatives.

With elections approaching, Desai is clear about what candidates must be held accountable for. “Candidates cannot copy someone else’s agenda. Each ward has different needs — drainage in one area, markets or schools in another. Voters must ask what a candidate will complete in their ward, not what sounds good on a poster,” she says.

Desai’s decades-long engagement highlights a simple truth: Pune’s problems are not unsolvable. But without coordination within the PMC and informed, demanding citizens outside it, promises risk continuing to replace progress. As voters assess election rhetoric, her work serves as a reminder that cities improve not through announcements, but through planning, pressure and persistence.