Citizens question authorities’ selective road repairs

Due to the upcoming Pune Grand Challenge Tour event, roads are being repaired and beautified across the Pune district.

- Varad Bhatkhande

However, citizens have raised concerns that while the administration is undertaking these works for a cyclathon event, other roads remain neglected despite years of resident demands. The Pune district administration, including Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), is carrying out these works.

The Pune Grand Challenge Tour, also called the Pune Grand Tour, is an international multistage cycling race scheduled for Jan 19 to 23, 2026. The event has earned UCI Class 2.2 status, officially recognised by the global cycling body. The roughly 437km route will span nine tehsils of Pune district and cover terrain ranging from city roads in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to hills, plateaus, grasslands and historical forts in rural areas.

Organisers envisage four stages in the race. Alongside professional cyclists, the event is designed to include amateur and youth riders. They aim to make it a highlevel competition and a broad-based cycling festival. They also aim to promote sustainable tourism and revive Pune’s identity as the “City of Cycles”, while creating a global platform for Indian cycling.