Residents of Pune’s 32 merged villages say they pay for city life but still live without basic facilities. | Image: PuneriPages.in
By Prashant for PuneriPages.in
When the 32 fringe villages were merged into Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, there was a lot of excitement. People genuinely believed their lives were about to change—better roads, proper water supply, waste collection, and all the comforts of being part of a “big city.”
But fast forward a few years, and reality is something else altogether. On paper, these areas are part of urban Pune. In real life? Many residents say it feels like they’re stuck between two worlds. What came immediately was higher property taxes. What didn’t come were the services those taxes were supposed to pay for.
Table of Contents
A Catalogue of Neglect
If you step into any of these areas today, the frustration is impossible to miss.
🛣️ Deplorable Roads
The roads here are a nightmare—muddy in the monsoons, potholed through the year, and in some places, not even properly laid. For daily commuters, it’s less about travel and more about survival.
🚰 Inconsistent Water Supply
Despite being under PMC limits, families still depend on tankers. Imagine paying water tax every year and then shelling out extra money to buy drinking water. That’s the everyday reality for many.
💧 Missing Drainage and Sewage Lines
Basic drainage systems are absent. In some areas, sewage just flows into open nullahs. During monsoons, the situation turns dangerous, with waterlogging and health issues becoming the norm.
🗑️ The Garbage Crisis
Ask anyone here about waste collection and you’ll hear the same answer—“irregular.” Some localities don’t see garbage trucks for days, leaving people with no option but to dump waste in open spaces or burn it.
The Cruel Irony: High Taxes, Zero Services
This is what really stings. The moment the merger was announced, people were brought under PMC’s tax net. Property tax, water charges, and other levies all went up.
But when residents look around, they don’t see Koregaon Park-level facilities—they see the same old neglect. As one resident told me bluntly: “We’re paying for a city life we don’t have.”
Voices from the Villages
And honestly, that sums up what I heard in multiple conversations across these merged wards.
“We were happy about the merger, thinking our children would get better facilities. But today, nothing has changed except our tax bills. At least our gram panchayat leaders were approachable,” says Sunita Patil from Manjri.
“The road to my society hasn’t been repaired in three years. We pay the same property tax as someone in Koregaon Park, but live like we’re outside the city,” adds Rajesh Jadhav from Mundhwa.
“Tankers are our only reliable source of water. We pay extra every month while PMC still collects its water tax,” says a young homeowner from Wagholi.
The phrase that kept coming up again and again? “Merged but forgotten.”
The Official Response
When I reached out to PMC officials, they admitted there are problems—but their side of the story is all about scale and budgets.
Laying new pipelines, drainage, and roads for 32 entire villages is a massive task, they said. Tendering takes time, budgets are limited, and “master plans” need to be drawn up.
But here’s the thing: for the families living in these areas, excuses don’t fix broken roads or fill empty taps.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the story of these 32 merged villages is one of promises made but not delivered. Lakhs of new Punekars were told they’d be part of a modern city. Instead, they got higher taxes and very little else.
The city limits may have expanded, but the reach of basic services clearly hasn’t. And until that gap is fixed, these residents will keep asking the same painful question:
When will our inclusion become real?
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