Pune: Keshav Nagar’s Narrow Roads Cause Traffic Havoc; Residents Call For Road Widening (PHOTOS)

Residents of Keshav Nagar are frustrated with traffic chaos caused by narrow roads and are consistently raising concerns about streamlining traffic at key junctions in the area.

Despite being part of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), residents state that they face daily hardships due to traffic issues, especially at Mundhwa Junction and Kharadi bypass.

“It’s my observation, based on multiple instances, that even when there is traffic police presence in Y junction or at the junction that leads to Renuka Mata Mandir, the traffic situation does not improve. This is mainly because of the lack of proper roads,” said Reetam Pal, a resident of Keshav Nagar.

Residents also demanded that heavy construction vehicles should be banned during school and office hours. Vijay Wakade, another resident said, “At 9am every morning, parents arrive to drop their children at Orbis School, coinciding with the rush hour as many people hurry to their offices. Despite the school being located on the main Mundhwa-Manjari road, there are no signboards or speed breakers in place. Also, we see a lot of heavy vehicles on this stretch of the road. They should be banned during school and office hours.”

Vishal Mane, also a resident, said, “Frequent traffic jams occur on this road, particularly near the stretch leading to Renuka Mata Mandir, due to its narrow width. The situation is exacerbated by ongoing construction projects, resulting in daily traffic from trucks, dumpers, cranes, and tankers, further congesting the already narrow Mundhwa-Manjari road. The works should begin at the earliest to give relief to commuters. There is a need to carry out a detailed study of all roads as traffic has increased a lot."

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has previously taken cognisance of the pressing issue of traffic in the area and planned road widening to ease traffic flow.

Nikhil Mizar, an official from the transport department of PMC, said, “Around 500 km of road network in Pune is pending due to land acquisition. The residents complaining about traffic issues should know that the issue can only be solved through road widening. And people are unwilling to give their land to PMC for road widening. PMC is ready to pay the compensation amount to the landlords but still, the landlords are unwilling to give their land. The issue will not be solved unless the problem of land acquisition is done.”