The residents of Keshavnagar-Mundhwa are constantly voicing their concerns to address the persistent issue of traffic congestion in the area.
The residents have to endure hour-long traffic jams during peak hours. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) previously took cognizance of the pressing issue of traffic in the area and planned road widening to ease traffic flow. However, many landlords were initially reluctant to give their land for road widening. Now, even the landlords have agreed to relinquish their land for road widening, subject to receiving adequate compensation from the administration.
However, the civic body claimed that road widening is pending due to locals' unwillingness to surrender their lands for road construction, even with compensation.
Residents speak up
A frustrated resident said, “We are running from pillar to post to resolve the traffic chaos, but our problem is falling on deaf ears. Additional Commissioner Vikas Dhakne had widened the road at Mundhwa Chowk. Similarly, it was believed that the Keshavnagar-Manjari Road would be widened. But as soon as he was transferred, the road department stopped the widening work. Residents are suffering due to traffic congestion. No planning has been done in this area. The population is increasing, and the number of vehicles has doubled. Hence, the road must be widened.”
Chaitanya Sharma, a resident of Mundhwa, said, “The Lonkar Chowk in Keshavnagar is a bottleneck. Traffic remains constant; there are four roads that diverge from this Chowk, and there’s only one road for going and coming from Manjari. One has to wait for more than half an hour due to traffic woes. There is no alternative route to reach Manjari. There’s no traffic signal, though traffic police are deployed in the area. For the first time, the roads are repaired, and there are no potholes, but road widening is still not in progress. The issue of traffic needs to be addressed.”
Nikhil Mizar, an official from the transport department of PMC, said, “PMC removed encroachments, and around 3 km of roads were widened, but the work couldn’t be completed due to land disputes, as locals are unwilling to part with their land for road widening.”
