Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass section of the Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway suffers from deteriorated service roads and heavy traffic congestion, making the lives of local citizens very hard. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Chinchwad MLA Shankar Jagtap, speaking on Sunday, announced the works on the highway aimed at improving commutes and reducing congestion.
A meeting took place at MLA Shankar Jagtap's Pimple Gurav office on Sunday with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials and other civic officials. At this time, issues of highway service roads at Wakad, Hinjawadi, Punawale, Tathawade, Mamurdi, Ravet, and Vikas Nagar were discussed.
‘Accelerate The Work': MLA Jagtap
Speaking about the meeting, MLA Shankar Jagtap said, “A review meeting was held with NHAI officials. I directed the officials to accelerate the work on the service roads in the Wakad, Punawale, Tathawade, Mamurdi, Ravet, and Vikas Nagar areas. The Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway and the service road fall under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra State Government and the NHAI.”
“The subways and roads here are within the working area of the State Government and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) cannot carry out work here. Therefore, I have instructed NHAI officials to complete the roadworksimmediately," added MLA Jagtap.
Meeting Overview:
- It was determined that rapid urban growth in Tathawade, Punawale, Ravet, and Wakad due to proximity to Hinjawadi IT Park has led to rising traffic congestion.
- The subways and service roads in these areas are vital for school students, IT employees, industrial workers, women, and senior citizens, said MLA Jagtap.
- The Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway and service roads fall under the State Government and NHAI, while subways are managed by the MoRTH.
- An immediate need for asphaltation of service roads from Bhumkar Chowk to Tathawade and Tathawade to Punawale Underpass was emphasised to ensure smooth traffic flow.
- Land acquisition issues for pending road works have been resolved after discussions between landowners and NHAI officials.
- MLA Shankar Jagtap directed that the road quality must meet long-term, 50-year standards, ensuring durability and minimising future issues.
Residents Demand Action
Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Kiwale, said, “I go daily to my office in Balewadi using this highway. The roads are in deteriorated condition near Baner and Wakad. For years, this has been the case. The service roads are neglected. Every once in a while, a governing MP or MLA visits the area and promises solutions, but we have yet to see the change.”
Residents Have Made the Following Demands:
- Make the Katraj–Dehu Road Bypass completely encroachment -free.
- Repair the highway and service roads.
- Identify traffic bottlenecks and find long-term solutions.
- Increase traffic police presence at key spots to manage congestion.
- Ban parking and pick-up/drop-off of buses and cabs along the main road.
