‘We Made Mistakes’: Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi Takes Responsibility For Chakan MIDC, Promises ‘Full Change’ Before Year-End

Pune: The Pune district administration has set an August 31 deadline for all agencies to repair roads across the Chakan industrial belt. Officials and contractors responsible for delays or poor-quality work will face action, Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi said in a press conference on Tuesday.

An all-agency meeting took place at the Commissioner of Police’s office in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Tuesday afternoon. After the meeting, while speaking to the press, Collector Dudi admitted that the administration had made mistakes in handling the road and traffic situation in Chakan. He said the administration would take responsibility instead of blaming individual departments.

29 People Killed In Road Accidents…

The decision comes amid growing concerns over Chakan’s poor infrastructure and traffic congestion. Officials said 500 km of roads in the area have been identified for repair and improvement. At least 29 people have died in road accidents in Chakan in the past two months, the collector revealed. “A significant portion” of the ₹411 crore worth of road works sanctioned earlier is already under way, Dudi said. However, the administration has now decided to focus on the quality and design of the roads instead of carrying out temporary repairs.

Urban designers have been brought in to assess the roads and suggest changes based on actual requirements. The administration will also focus on stormwater drains, footpaths, zebra crossings and streetlights. Existing 90-degree junctions will be redesigned scientifically to improve traffic movement and road safety. Dudi said poor drainage is one of the main reasons potholes return after repairs. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) exists for pothole repairs in India. Collector Dudi said that contractors will have to follow it while carrying out the work.

“We will share this SOP so that the public and media can hold us accountable,” Dudi said. Contractors who fail to follow the SOP will be blacklisted, he said. They have been given time until 31st August to complete the required work, after which the blacklisting process will begin. The administration has also appointed branch engineers for specific stretches of roads. They will be responsible for ensuring that potholes are repaired immediately if they develop.

‘Results Within 15 Days, Full Change By Year End’

The collector said the administration would not consider which agency owns a particular road while planning improvements. Urban designers have been asked to identify what each road needs, after which the concerned agency will execute the work. When asked about allegations that some contractors have “connections” in high places and are lax in their work, Dudi said, “The Chakan region is extremely important, as it hosts major national and international companies. There is a zero-tolerance policy, regardless of who the contractor is.”

The administration expects visible results within the next 15 days. Pimpri-Chinchwad Commissioner of Police Vinoy Kumar Choubey said all agencies had committed to carrying out road repairs during this period. The road crisis has been linked to poor coordination between several agencies working in the Chakan industrial area. The state government recently formed a high-level committee under Dudi to address the issue and improve coordination between departments.

‘Chakan’s Current Situation Due To Our Mistakes’

The committee was formed after Chakan faced years of traffic and infrastructure problems. The industrial belt has nearly 3,000 companies, and roads are managed by multiple agencies. Dudi said the administration was now working on short-, medium- and long-term measures instead of relying only on temporary repairs. The Talegaon-Shikrapur road is also expected to bring major relief once its work is completed. The tender for the Nashik Phata-Nashik Highway has also been opened, allowing work on the project to move ahead.

The administration is also planning alternate routes before taking up major construction work so that existing traffic is not brought to a standstill. The collector said the road improvement plan would focus on preventing the same problems from returning during the next monsoon.

“As an administration, we take complete responsibility. Rather than pointing fingers at any single department, we accept that mistakes were made on our part, which has resulted in the current situation in Chakan,” Dudi said.

The administration’s action plan also includes traffic measures, but the immediate focus is on completing the identified road works by August 31 and ensuring that repairs meet the prescribed standards.