Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure is facing opposition criticism over remarks made after the Yerawada tragedy, as political parties demand accountability from civic officials and stricter safety enforcement at public work sites.
According to a report by the Times of India, Nagpure allegedly responded to a query by saying that she was “not a contractor” and had not “pushed the man”. The remarks have triggered criticism from opposition leaders, who said the response was insensitive while the victim’s family was grieving.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said the mayor’s response was unbecoming of the city’s first citizen. “At a time when a family is grieving, this reflects a shocking lack of empathy,” Pawar said, according to the report.
The controversy has also widened into a dispute over how Pune’s civic administration supervises public infrastructure work. Shiv Sena’s Pune unit announced plans to protest what it described as inadequate safety measures at public work sites. The party alleged that the BJP-backed civic administration had failed to enforce basic safeguards.
Shiv Sena city chief Pramod Bhangire said responsibility should not rest only with contractors, but also with civic officials overseeing projects. He alleged that there were “deep-rooted irregularities” in the drainage department and other public works, and linked declining quality and safety to these practices.
The allegations have not been independently established in the supplied report. They form part of the political response to the tragedy and the mayor’s reported remarks. The report does not provide details of any civic inquiry, police action, contract documents or official findings fixing responsibility for the death.
The BJP’s Pune city chief, Dheeraj Ghate, said the party had taken up the matter with civic authorities and urged stricter enforcement of safety norms. His response places the immediate focus on preventing similar incidents, while opposition parties are demanding wider accountability for officials involved in overseeing public works.
The dispute highlights a recurring administrative question in urban infrastructure: whether safety responsibility is treated as a contractor obligation alone or is also enforced through the officials who approve, supervise and monitor work. In Pune, that question is now central to the political reaction following the Yerawada tragedy.
Shiv Sena has announced protests over safety measures at public work sites. The report says citizens are seeking more than administrative notices and are calling for criminal liability to be fixed where negligence in public infrastructure projects causes preventable deaths.
