A week after TomTom, a global organization, conducted a survey of 500 cities and declared Pune as the fourth most traffic-congested city in the world, the Pune unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held an ironic protest at Sakhar Sankul Chowk, Natawadi in Pune.
While Pune traffic makes news everyday and Punekars take to social media to raise issues, Pune has ranked as the world's fourth slowest city for traffic, with an average travel time of 33.22 minutes for 10 kilometers in TomTom's 14th edition of its TomTom Traffic Index. While the city ranks 128th in world rank in congestion.
Even the residents are raising their voices against the rising traffic congestion in the city. It should be noted that a man fell into an under-construction drainage in Narhe a few days ago, with Dhayayrikars raising concerns about the congestion.
AAP highlights time wasted in traffic
The AAP protestors claimed that the ruling BJP and the administration had done a global disservice to Pune. The protest highlighted how, despite the announcements made during Prime Minister Modi’s smart city project, traffic congestion and inadequate public transport in Pune have only worsened in the past eight to nine years.
The AAP workers pointed out that Punekars waste an average of 110 hours per year stuck in traffic jams. "Roads that were once notorious for traffic jams, such as Hinjewadi Road and Senapati Bapat Road, are now seeing growing congestion throughout the city," added AAP spokesperson Mukund Kirdat.
The protest also raised concerns about how traffic congestion has forced software companies to relocate from Hinjewadi to other cities, while the lack of an adequate public transport system leaves schoolgirls and children vulnerable and scared of accidents. Moreover, the growing air pollution is taking a toll on the city’s residents, the protestors added.
"Despite the presence of BJP MLAs in Pune, the administration’s continuous failure to address issues like flyovers, potholes, encroachments, and traffic mismanagement remains unchanged. Additionally, the important overbridges on Sinhagad Road and Vidyapeeth Chowk have still not been completed. The protest also warned that, with new buildings being constructed under the metro project using more FSI (Floor Space Index), traffic congestion is likely to worsen. Even after the Pune Municipal Corporation spent Rs 100 crore on an automatic signal ATMS system, no noticeable improvements have been made," AAP leaders added.
The protestors noted that even after remarks by President Droupadi Murmu, the local administration, along with BJP MLAs, has failed to take any action to resolve the situation. "Pune, which was once ranked seventh, has now climbed to the fourth position globally for traffic congestion. In light of this, the Aam Aadmi Party held the protest to ironically congratulate the BJP for their contributions to the traffic mess, with the slogan, 'BJP has done it, morning and evening, all places are jammed,'" he added.
The protest saw participation from various members of the Aam Aadmi Party, including Mukund Kirdat, Sudarshan Jagdale, Dhananjay Benkar, Shankar Thorat, and others.
