Pune: The administration has announced a major crackdown on roadside parking and encroachments in Chakan to ease traffic congestion in the industrial belt. Open spaces belonging to MIDC will be used for heavy-vehicle parking, while roadside parking will not be allowed. Officials will take strict action against violators, including first-time offenders, Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi said on Tuesday. Signboards informing motorists about the new parking restrictions will be installed from Wednesday.
Jitendra Dudi and Pimpri-Chinchwad Commissioner of Police Vinoy Kumar Choubey held a joint press conference on Tuesday after an all-agency meeting at the CP office. During the press conference, Jitendra Dudi said that the administration expects removing roadside parking alone to improve traffic speed by 25% to 30%. He also said that to strengthen traffic management, 100 Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) personnel will be deployed in Chakan in two shifts. The traffic police will also have access to large cranes to remove vehicles that break down and cause congestion.
‘Zero-Tolerance Police For Illegal Parking & Encroachment’
The move is part of a wider plan to address the traffic crisis in the Chakan industrial belt, where nearly 3,000 companies operate. Officials said congestion has worsened due to heavy vehicles, roadside parking and encroachments. Dudi said MIDC’s available open spaces would be made available for parking. Necessary no-objection certificates have already been issued. The traffic branch will use these spaces to manage heavy-vehicle parking.
“There will be a zero-tolerance policy for illegal parking,” CP Vinoy Kumar Choubey said. He added that strict action would be taken against violators. Collector Dudi said that the administration will also take action against encroachments that block roads and add to congestion. These include food stalls, illegal godowns and other structures. Officials have been directed to prepare a complete list of encroachments by Thursday evening and issue notices to the concerned occupants. They will be given one month from August 25 to remove the encroachments and restore the road.
If an agency fails to remove an encroachment after the deadline, action will be taken against the concerned official, Dudi said. “Encroachments will not be tolerated, regardless of any prominent political figure involved,” he said. The police will provide manpower to government agencies during the removal of encroachments. Choubey said police bandobast would be provided immediately whenever agencies require it.
Main Congestion Point Identified…
The administration has identified the 19-km stretch around Chakan Chowk as the main congestion point. Officials said reducing congestion on this stretch would have a major impact on traffic movement across the area. The entire Chakan area will also be brought under AI-enabled camera surveillance. The system will be managed from the Pimpri-Chinchwad control room. Officials will use the command centre to monitor traffic and take immediate action when problems are detected.
Choubey said AI-based traffic modelling would also be used to understand traffic movement and distribute vehicles more effectively. The administration has taken up the measures after the state government formed a high-level committee to address Chakan’s long-standing traffic and infrastructure problems. The committee is headed by Dudi, while senior officials from other agencies are part of it. Dudi said the main problem had been poor coordination between the several agencies working in Chakan. The new system is aimed at bringing them together and ensuring that decisions are implemented on the ground.
‘Strict Action Against Wrongdoers’
Officials expect the first visible results within the next 15 days. The administration is also working on measures to prevent vehicles from causing blockages after breakdowns, and action will be taken on them if necessary. Large cranes will be made available so that such vehicles can be removed quickly instead of remaining on busy roads.
The administration is also looking at restoring the median divider on the national highway. Officials said the divider had been removed at several points by locals or, in some cases, even governing agencies so commuters can cross the road and take U-turns. This often creates traffic queues behind the vehicles making the turns. The median will be restored through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Dudi said. “Strict action will be taken against anyone breaking traffic rules, be it parking or anything else. No leniency will be shown to anyone, including first-time offenders,” Dudi said.
The measures are aimed at providing immediate relief while longer-term infrastructure work is taken up in the industrial belt. Officials said the focus would remain on better traffic management, strict enforcement and coordination between agencies.
