Why Did CM Devendra Fadnavis Skip His Speech At Pune University Road Flyover Inauguration?

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday evening inaugurated one arm of the Pune University Road double-decker flyover.

The event was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, MLAs Siddharth Shirole, Bapusaheb Pathare and Hemant Rasane, along with senior officials, including Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar, PMRDA Commissioner Yogesh Mhase, PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and Collector Jitendra Dudi, among others.

The DCM’s convoy arrived first at the bridge, followed by the CM. However, only a curtain unveiling was done and no speeches were made. This made many people upset.

'An insult to their patience'

Pankaj Yadav (name changed), a contractual supervisor working with TATA Projects, came with his wife and child to watch the inauguration. Yadav told FPJ, "The CM was present on the flyover for not more than two minutes."

A group of five workers present at the event opined that the CM should have spoken about the project, highlighting the delays in opening the bridge and offering gratitude for their work, which they felt was the least they could expect.

Another visitor at the event told FPJ, "The public had been waiting for over an hour with traffic halted at University Chowk. If the CM cannot address the public, it is an insult to their patience."

Why didn’t the CM speak?

The event, expected to start at 5:30pm, was delayed by nearly one hour, and for the ministers’ convoy, vehicle movement was halted on Ganeshkhind and Aundh roads for half an hour. When the CM arrived, traffic had already started to increase at University Chowk. A police official, requesting anonymity, shared that the CM avoided delivering a speech at the event to prevent further prolonging the traffic woes of commuters.