The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated action following complaints from local corporators and residents over persistent traffic congestion at Gokhale Chowk near the iconic Goodluck Café on Fergusson College Road. The issue is being attributed to the ‘Kalakar Katta’ — an artists’ display and seating area set up along the footpath at the entrance of the café, which locals say is obstructing vehicle movement at the busy junction.
Anand Chaini
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram recently conducted a site inspection after receiving a written letter from corporators Sunil Pandey, Mitali Savlekar, Puneet Joshi and Manjushree Khardekar, demanding relocation of the artists’ space. The corporators pointed out that the seating area, originally permitted as part of footpath widening efforts, is now adding to traffic bottlenecks, especially for PMPML buses attempting to turn towards Bhandarkar Road from Ferguson College Road.
“This chowk connects multiple key routes — vehicles from Khandujibaba Chowk, Deccan Gymkhana Colony, PYC Colony and those heading towards BMCC Road all pass through this intersection. The roads in the Deccan Gymkhana area, developed in 1921, are narrow and already under pressure. The additional obstruction is worsening the situation,” the corporators mentioned in the letter.
Residents from the Deccan Gymkhana locality have also voiced concerns, stating that the congestion has been a long-standing issue and that immediate corrective measures are needed. “The ‘Kalakar Katta’ has taken up critical turning space. Large vehicles, especially PMPML buses, struggle to manoeuvre here, leading to frequent jams during peak hours,” said Mohit Ketan, a local resident.
The corporators, in their letter to the Commissioner, have demanded that the artists’ stalls be shifted to an alternate location to ease traffic movement. Following the inspection, the Commissioner has reportedly taken a positive stand on the issue and, in principle, approved the removal of fencing and relocation of the structure.
Officials said that once the obstruction is cleared, traffic flow at Gokhale Chowk will improve significantly and help decongest one of the busiest intersections in the Deccan area.
Further action is expected from the PMC’s traffic planning and encroachment departments in the coming days.
