The cannon balls were found when the workers were laying a water pipeline under a project of the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra government's Public Works Department inside the colony. The explosives are believed to belong to the British-era, manufactured after the Peshwa regime ended in the 15th century. Each cannon ball weighs 2.5 kg.

"Ever since these cannonballs were found, they were dumped at the gymnasium that was in use till then. But now, since it is closed, we cannot use the gym. Moreover, it is dangerous to store so many live cannon balls at a place that is so close to the residential area," Ajay Shinde, a resident, said.

"At that time, the district authorities had given us a promise that these cannon balls would be moved to a safer place within two days. However, they are yet to act," he said.

Soon after the cannon balls were unearthed, the Bomb Disposal Company (BDC) of the The Southern Command was asked to inspect the cannon balls. Defence officials say that the cannon balls are with the police now.

When contacted, District Collector Chandrakant Dalvi said, "We had informed the defence authorities to take over the cache and do the needful. However, the defence authorities have informed us that since these are not explosive, they could be destroyed. However, further details need to be checked from the police."