PCMC constructs Rs 12-crore sports complex, then ‘forgets’ to build approach road
Sports enthusiasts and elderly people who use the complex at Kasarwadi in Pimpri-Chinchwad for walks have been forced to use a road full of potholes and craters.
The PCMC appears to have forgotten to build an approach road to the complex, located opposite Marshal Company and close to the Rahul Chambers commercial complex along the Pune-Mumbai highway in Kasarwadi. (Express Photo)
The long-cherished dream of sports enthusiasts of Kasarwadi, a suburb of Maharashtra’s Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial city, came true last year when a sports complex was inaugurated by none other than Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Though the complex is buzzing with activity, the sports persons are finding it a tad difficult to reach the place.
Reason: after building the sports complex worth Rs 12 crore, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) appears to have forgotten to build an approach road to the complex, located opposite Marshal Company and close to the Rahul Chambers commercial complex along the Pune-Mumbai highway in Kasarwadi.
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As a result, sports enthusiasts and elderly residents who use the complex for morning and evening walks have been forced to use a road that is full of potholes and craters. In the last one week, when it rained heavily, this road had knee-deep water and got converted into a “swimming pool”, making it difficult for the people to reach the sports complex.
The road belongs to a private party. “The private party does not allow the road to be repaired. It has allowed the PCMC to temporarily use the road, especially for reaching the sports complex,” said Shyam Lande, a former corporator who was instrumental in the construction of the sports complex.
“I took the initiative to build the sports complex as for years residents had been demanding a sports facility in Kasarwadi. I was born and brought up in Kasarwadi. We played cricket on the Army ground in Kasarwadi, which is now out of bounds for local residents. As a result, there was no ground in Kasarwadi. Therefore, I pursued the matter with the PCMC and got the complex done,” he said.
Lande said the sports complex was built four years ago but could not be thrown open because of the Covid pandemic. “Last year, it was inaugurated and now there is a huge response from local youngsters,” he said.
The sports complex has facilities for playing football and cricket. It also has two badminton courts, a gym, a garden and even kids come there to skate on weekends. The complex has been named the Rajaram Lande Sports Complex, after an activist from Kasarwadi.
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“This is the first sports facility in Kasarwadi. Forty years ago, we struggled to have a proper sports facility. We had to make do with the Army ground, where Army personnel used to suddenly descend and disallowed us from playing. Later, they constructed a compound wall and there was no ground for our children for years. Now the sports complex has come up. But unfortunately it does not have a proper approach road. The PCMC should wake up and take decisive action in the matter,” said Avinash Prasad, a local resident.
Sunil Chacko, former captain of Kasarwadi Eleven Cricket Club who now lives in Aundh, said, “If we had a sports facility like the present one, several cricketers would have made it to the Indian team or at least the national level. We had such a great bunch of cricketers. And even the tradition continues. I come all the way from Aundh to spend time at the Kasarwadi ground with my old buddies. It is a great feeling to have a sports complex in our own land.”
Lande said the land acquisition process for the approach road was still going on. “There are at least four spots where the land acquisition work has to take place. Both the PCMC and the district collectorate are involved in the land acquisition process. I have been told by the PCMC that the land acquisition work will be completed in the near future,” he added.
When contacted, Pankaj Patil, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, said, “I will soon visit the complex and find out where exactly has the approach road work stuck up… We will ensure that the road to the complex is constructed at the earliest.”
Manoj More has been working with the Indian Express since 1992. For the first 16 years, he worked on the desk, edited stories, made pages, wrote special stories and handled The Indian Express edition. In 31 years of his career, he has regularly written stories on a range of topics, primarily on civic issues like state of roads, choked drains, garbage problems, inadequate transport facilities and the like. He has also written aggressively on local gondaism. He has primarily written civic stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki, Maval and some parts of Pune. He has also covered stories from Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar and Latur. He has had maximum impact stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial city which he has covered extensively for the last three decades.
Manoj More has written over 20,000 stories. 10,000 of which are byline stories. Most of the stories pertain to civic issues and political ones. The biggest achievement of his career is getting a nearly two kilometre road done on Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki in 2006. He wrote stories on the state of roads since 1997. In 10 years, nearly 200 two-wheeler riders had died in accidents due to the pathetic state of the road. The local cantonment board could not get the road redone as it lacked funds. The then PMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi took the initiative, went out of his way and made the Khadki road by spending Rs 23 crore from JNNURM Funds. In the next 10 years after the road was made by the PMC, less than 10 citizens had died, effectively saving more than 100 lives.
Manoj More's campaign against tree cutting on Pune-Mumbai highway in 1999 and Pune-Nashik highway in 2004 saved 2000 trees.
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