Viman Nagar footpath in Pune in tatters, poses risky commute for university students

These hostels and campuses are spread out across a few kilometres, making the footpaths the most accessible and practical route for students to commute.

The poor condition of the footpaths affects more than just academic routines. A student at the Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts, says, “It’s not just about us commuting between the hostel and college. The entire stretch is in a poor state. All the places we regularly need to access, like medical stores, stationery shops, and grocery stores, are located along this path. So, it’s not just college that becomes difficult to reach; our access to the area as a whole is limited because of the damaged footpath.”

For another student at Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies, the footpath is the only available option for reaching the campus. “It’s an absolute nuisance. While girls can access university buses from their hostels to the campus, the boys’ hostel doesn’t provide that as our hostel is fairly close to the college. So, walking is our only option, and with the condition of the path, going to college often feels like doing parkour, jumping over cracks, dodging obstacles, and trying not to trip.”

The lack of dedicated pedestrian space is further complicated by the presence of vehicles on the walkway. “When we walk on the footpath, it’s not uncommon to find bikes and scooters riding alongside us,” says another student studying design. The footpath’s condition is already questionable, and the added chaos from vehicles makes it nearly impossible to use safely.”

Students who need to move between the old and new campuses also face similar challenges. A student at the Symbiosis Law School, says, “I usually walk to the other campus, which is just a kilometre away. However, the entire route is blocked; some areas are broken, and others have debris or random obstructions. What should be a straightforward walk takes much longer because we are constantly forced to look for safer patches to step on.”

Following growing concerns, local authorities have acknowledged the issue, as officials at the Wadgaon Sheri ward office said they have sent a letter to the Road Department requesting to restore the footpath.

Sarang Deore, official at the PMC Road Department, said the footpaths would be repaired and brought back to normal soon. “Dhinesh Engineers were granted permission to install optical fibre cables in Viman Nagar and remove sections of the footpath during the process. However, they did not restore it afterward, so we’ve issued orders for them to repair the damage. The footpath should be back to normal within a month,” Deore said.