A 69-year-old man died after falling into a poorly barricaded road trench in Pune’s Yerawada area, prompting residents and civic representatives to demand criminal action against the contractor and officials responsible for the work. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a show-cause notice to the contractor and sought an explanation within 24 hours.
Pradeep Laxman Pardeshi, who owned a laundry business in Yerawada, suffered serious injuries after falling into the trench on Sunday. He died during treatment, according to the report. The incident has intensified concerns about the safety of open excavations and other temporary hazards created during civic infrastructure works.
Corporator Avinash Salve, citing videos from the site, alleged that the trench had been protected by flimsy barricades. He demanded that the contractor be permanently blacklisted and booked under culpable homicide provisions. The demand has not been confirmed as an action taken by the police or municipal authorities.
The incident has also drawn attention to the responsibilities of agencies overseeing road and drainage projects. PMC officials said safety instructions had been issued to contractors and that legal proceedings had been initiated against the contractor involved in the work. Rajendra Jadhav, superintending engineer in the PMC’s drainage department, said the contractor had been asked to explain the circumstances within 24 hours.
“Further action will be taken after examining the response and other relevant facts,” Jadhav said, according to the report. The municipal response means the immediate next step is an assessment of the contractor’s explanation and the facts gathered by the civic administration.
Residents and citizens’ groups said the death exposed a wider problem involving unsafe public works, damaged roads, narrow footpaths and the loss of public space to encroachments. Satara Road resident Rucha Joshi said walking on city roads had become increasingly risky, arguing that poorly executed civic works added to existing dangers for pedestrians.
Consumer rights activist Vivek Velankar alleged that civic authorities and contractors routinely ignored established safety standards and Indian Roads Congress norms during infrastructure projects. He called for criminal cases against officials and contractors found to have failed in their duties, while stressing that stronger action was needed to deter negligence.
Residents also referred to other accidents on damaged and pothole-ridden roads in Maharashtra, including incidents reported in Mumbai and Nashik. However, the material available does not establish whether those incidents involved the same contractor, PMC project or type of work.
The Yerawada case now turns on the contractor’s response to the PMC notice and the findings of the civic administration and law-enforcement authorities. Those proceedings will determine whether further administrative or criminal action is taken over the trench and the safety arrangements at the site.
