Pune civic body’s school in Aundh becomes hub for drinking, liquor bottles found

The same building, just a few metres from the main school building, also houses an anganwadi or government early childhood care centre.

Written by: Soham Shah, Pavan Khengre

3 min readUpdated: Aug 22, 2026 07:29 PM IST

Pune PMC school liquor bottles anganwadi

The ground floor of the building houses the anganwadi and a derelict gym, where liquor bottles are found. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)

At Golwalkar Guruji 54B Marathi medium school run by Pune Municipal Corporation, the tin sheet roof has been leaking during the monsoons for many years. At present, the water tank leaks too. However, these two pale in comparison to the establishment’s bigger inconsistencies as empty liquor bottles lie around a building inside the compound of the school. The building is labeled as a recreation centre for the “Aundh Senior Citizens’ Association”.

The same building, just a few metres from the main school building, also houses an anganwadi or government early childhood care centre. A visit by The Indian Express revealed that liquor bottles were lying just 10 metres away from the anganwadi. Teachers and workers at the anganwadi said that men from the area break into the school premises every night, consume liquor and leave behind a mess for them to clean.

The ground floor of the building houses the anganwadi and a derelict gym, where liquor bottles are found. “We have to rid the premises of the empty bottles ourselves,” said a worker at the school.

Story continues below. Subscribe to see fewer ads.

The upper floors of the building are usually locked, where cultural events and physiotherapy sessions take place. “We don’t even have access to a washroom as they keep the upper floors locked,” said the anganwadi teacher.

Bhakti Gaikwad, one of the four PMC corporators for Aundh-Bopodi, told The Indian Express that she was aware of the issue and had ordered for locks to be put on the main gate of the premises and the gate of the gym. “However, miscreants have now broken these locks at night and they drink alcohol here,” she said. She added that the recreation centre building was owned by the PMC.

Shivajinagar MLA Siddharth Shirole visited a hall located on the premises of the school on August 21 for an ongoing ration card scheme but did not visit the school or the anganwadi building. The in-charge principal of the PMC school was not present when The Indian Express visited and did not respond to calls.

The Indian Express reached out to PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram for a response. He said, “This is a very serious issue. It was not brought to my notice. Within the school campus there cannot be any school facility which is not for the student. If there is any facility it has to be for constructive purposes not for alcohol drinking. I’ll conduct an inquiry and I’ll send a team.”

Story continues below this ad

On whether it is legal to have such a recreation centre inside school premises, Ram said, “I think it is not consistent with the rules. There must be something wrong in it. I’ll actually see to it personally.”

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
Aundh
PMC
pune

Loading Recommendations...

Sep 14: Latest News

Live Blog