Pune: ‘How Many More Lives?’ Opposition Protests Over 21 Deaths On Katraj-Kondhwa Road
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 10th September 2026: The death of a schoolgirl in a road accident on the Katraj-Kondhwa Road triggered a strong protest by opposition corporators during the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) general body meeting on Thursday.
Corporators from the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) staged an agitation against the civic administration, demanding justice for the girl and action against officials responsible for the delayed road project.
The corporators questioned Mayor Manjusha Nagpure and Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram over whether they would accept responsibility for the incident and take action against the officials concerned.
Corporators Question Delay In Road Project
Corporator Arvind Shinde criticised the administration over the prolonged delay in completing the Katraj-Kondhwa Road project. He claimed that 21 people had lost their lives in accidents on the road so far and alleged that electricity poles belonging to Mahavitaran had still not been removed.
Shinde alleged that the presence of these poles contributed to the death of the schoolgirl two days ago. He also questioned why the road project had not been completed despite an expenditure of around ₹150 crore.
He further claimed that although ₹60 crore had been allocated for traffic management, traffic wardens were not present at several junctions.
“When will the administration take responsibility?” Shinde questioned.
According to Shinde, the Katraj-Kondhwa Road issue has already been discussed seven times in the PMC general body. He questioned how many more discussions would be required before the long-pending issue was resolved.
He demanded that the mayor and municipal commissioner fix responsibility on the officials concerned and take appropriate action.
Opposition Criticises Stalled Work
Corporator Baburao Chandere also criticised the administration over the delay in completing the road.
Chandere said that when he was the chairman of the standing committee, he had taken the initiative to complete the road under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. He claimed that the proposal had faced criticism and opposition at the time.
However, he said residents were now losing their lives on the road, highlighting the seriousness of the issue.
Corporator Ghafoorbhai Pathan raised several other pending issues in the Kondhwa area, including development plan (DP) roads, water supply and garbage management.
He alleged that the administration itself was engaging in politics and questioned where elected representatives were expected to raise these issues if they remained unresolved.
PMC Says Land Acquisition Efforts Underway
PMC Building Department head Aniruddha Pawaskar explained the administration’s position on completing the road.
He said efforts were underway to acquire the remaining land required for the project through Floor Space Index (FSI) and Transferable Development Rights (TDR).
According to Pawaskar, around 10 landowners were seeking compensation in cash, and the administration was attempting to resolve their issues within the next two to three weeks.
Once the required land is secured, the remaining work on the entire road is expected to be completed within six to seven months, Pawaskar said.
The Katraj-Kondhwa Road project has remained delayed for several years and has repeatedly come under scrutiny over accidents and traffic-related concerns. Following the latest fatal accident, residents are once again questioning whether the project will finally be completed within the administration’s latest timeline.
