Pune: Citizen Pressure Forces PMC to Remove Unauthorized Traffic Island in Mohammadwadi-NIBM

Mohammadwadi, 13th August 2025: In a stunning revelation that underscores dangerous lapses in urban governance, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come under fire for constructing an unauthorized and oversized traffic circle at SM Ghule Chowk in the Mohammadwadi-NIBM Annexe corridor — without prior approval from the Pune Traffic Police or public consultation. The move, which residents say blatantly violates Indian Road Congress (IRC) norms, was reversed only after a fierce citizen-led campaign exposed the illegality.

The traffic circle was dismantled within 24 hours of a detailed report published by Punekar News, following widespread complaints from residents and community activists. Citizens have now accused PMC of undermining the rule of law and setting a dangerous precedent that erodes constitutional values.

“PMC Is Not Above the Law” – Citizens Demand Legal Action
Local residents including Raj Singh, Jaymala Dhankikar, Ashok Mehendale, Sanghamitra Jedhe, Kunal Rodrigues, Ayesha Patel, Ramesh Patil, Minoo Parsi, Anand Walse, and Amit Deohar, took their fight to the highest levels of government. They submitted formal complaints to PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, DGP Rashmi Shukla, and DCP Traffic Himmat Jadhav — calling the construction an “unconstitutional, unsafe, and unscientific” act.

Following their pressure, a team of PMC executive engineers, IRC consultants, and traffic officials visited the site and confirmed the circle had indeed been built without required permissions.

“This is not a minor procedural lapse — this is a civic body knowingly breaking the law,” said Raj Singh, a resident of Raheja Premier.

“PMC bypassed the traffic department, ignored public safety, and acted as if accountability doesn’t apply to them. If government bodies themselves stop following the Constitution, it’s the beginning of lawlessness. We’ve issued legal notices and escalated the matter to the PMO, CMO, and Commissioner of Police. This time, the power of united citizens forced PMC to retreat — but the fight for accountability isn’t over.”

Unscientific Design, Zero Visibility, High Risk
The now-removed circle was constructed with a 10.5-meter radius at SM Ghule Chowk — a critical junction witnessing heavy traffic due to residential growth, school zones, cement mixers, tankers, and buses. The area has already seen several minor accidents, and locals feared a major catastrophe was imminent.

“The circle was so large, even school buses couldn’t navigate properly. Heavy vehicles were swinging into other lanes. It was a recipe for disaster,” said Jaymala Dhankikar, a leading activist.

“PMC acted without taking traffic clearance, without talking to us, without safety audits. This is criminal negligence, and it must be investigated. Who gave them the authority to play with our lives?”

She added, “I’ve written to the Police Commissioner and sought protection. People don’t like that I’m exposing these illegalities — but I won’t stop. If PMC continues to act outside the law, it endangers not just infrastructure, but human lives. We won’t allow that.”

“This Isn’t Planning — It’s Institutional Lawlessness”
“How can PMC just build something like this without even a conversation with the traffic police? This isn’t planning — it’s institutional lawlessness,” Dhankikar continued.

“If any accident had taken place, who would be held accountable? Not the engineers. Not the contractors. The common man pays the price while PMC enjoys immunity. That’s exactly what we’re challenging.”
“It’s shocking that a government body has such little respect for the Constitution. Transparency, public consultation, adherence to IRC — these are not optional steps. These are mandatory. We will now be filing a case in court. We will not allow PMC to treat citizen safety like a side note.”

Ashok Mehendale, former PMC Education Board member and respected social worker, criticized the administration harshly:
“What PMC did was not just illegal — it was reckless endangerment of public lives. They ignored visibility standards, skipped traffic clearances, and even floated rumors about erecting a statue in the middle, which would have further blocked views. We’re not against development, we’re against unlawful and unsafe development.”

He added, “We want expert-approved, visibility-friendly, and lawful traffic planning — not experiments that put lives at risk. The law is not a suggestion; it’s binding. PMC must be held answerable in court if needed Some want to hold illegal events here, set up stalls, disrupt traffic. This is not a private plot — this is national property”

Citizens Demand: Legal Structure, Safety First
Residents now demand a complete overhaul of the planning process at SM Ghule Chowk. They want all decisions made in collaboration with traffic authorities, road safety experts, and the local community.

They raised urgent questions:
Who sanctioned the earlier circle?
Was a traffic impact assessment conducted?
Who would be responsible for maintenance and safety?
What structures were planned for the center — and would they block visibility?
How did PMC allow unauthorized shops and illegal festival activity on the junction?

Additional Safety Demands from Citizens:
Construction of a legal, IRC-compliant traffic island
Installation of traffic lights and safety signals
24×7 CCTV surveillance to monitor crime, hooliganism, and illegal activity
Removal of all unauthorized vendors and illegal constructions on the junction

“This chowk has become a playground for lawbreakers. People are occupying public spaces without permission,” said Dhankikar.

“We need CCTV surveillance here immediately. And PMC must not cave into pressure from groups that wish to keep this chowk in a lawless state.”

Rampant Lawlessness Around SM Ghule Chowk
Beyond poor planning, residents allege the entire SM Ghule Chowk stretch has become a hub of night-time drug abuse, illegal racing, hooliganism, and frequent accidents. Unauthorized festivals, pop-up shops, and street gatherings continue unchecked.

Shilpa Joshi, a long-time resident, expressed shock at PMC’s governance standards: “What constitutional values are we upholding if the very agencies tasked with protecting the law are the ones breaking it? This chowk has become a free-for-all. We demand that PMC upload every detail of this project — including costs, approvals, and plans — on its website. This is national property, not anyone’s personal fiefdom.”

The Road to Transparency: Will PMC Learn?
Over the last two years, PMC has been converting the stretch from Sainik Vihar to Lavanya Restaurant into a 24-meter-wide cement concrete road. Though the deadline was April 2025, only 70–75% of the work is complete. Key footpaths, connectors like the Bibgyor–Raheja stretch, and lighting infrastructure remain unfinished.

This scandal adds to the growing list of complaints about PMC’s lack of transparency, planning delays, and disregard for safety standards.

Conclusion: Time for the Rule of Law to Return to Pune’s Roads
This episode at SM Ghule Chowk, Mohammadwadi-NIBM Annexe, is not about a traffic circle alone — it’s about PMC’s dangerous tendency to bypass laws, ignore expert inputs, and compromise citizen safety.
“This is no longer about a circle — it’s about restoring faith in governance,” concluded Jaymala Dhankikar.

“We want a city built on law, not shortcuts. We want officials who are accountable, not arrogant. If the PMC cannot govern lawfully, then citizens will have no choice but to take the legal route and ensure justice from the courts”, she added.