Pune: Citizens Slam PMC Over Shastrinagar Flyover Work, Demand Integrated Master Plan

Pune, 8th May 2025: A coalition of residents under the Association of Nagar Road Citizens Forum (ANRCF) has sharply criticized the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for proceeding with the excavation and construction of a Y-shaped flyover and grade separator at Shastrinagar without first releasing a comprehensive master plan. The citizens say the project, estimated at ₹93 crore, is being pushed ahead without transparency, proper inter-agency coordination, or public consultation.

The forum, representing local residents from Viman Nagar, Kalyani Nagar, and nearby areas, alleges that despite repeated appeals and even a legal notice, their calls for a coordinated approach have been ignored.

“All we had demanded was a Comprehensive Master Plan. It is the citizen’s right to know when their daily lives are thrown into upheaval,” said Qaneez Sukhrani, Convenor of the Association.

Photos shared by the Forum show newly installed notice boards announcing the project, alongside ongoing startup and excavation activities at the site. According to Sukhrani, “PMC went ahead with the project even though no agency had full knowledge of what the other was doing on Nagar Road. This lack of communication will only result in chaos and duplication — exactly what happened with poorly coordinated projects in Katraj and Sinhagad.”

‘Flyover Work Without Logic or Planning’
The Association pointed out that traffic police have already introduced several U-turns and diversions at junctions including Dargah, Somnath Nagar, AGNI Chowk, and Shastrinagar — leading to daily traffic snarls instead of improving flow.
The Forum has flagged the absence of an integrated master plan covering six major infrastructure projects underway in the Nagar Road stretch, including:
The MSIDC’s proposed two/three-tier flyover from Shirur to Phoenix Mall.
MahaMetro’s extension plan from Ramwadi to Vitthalwadi in Wagholi, which has no clarity on how it will intersect with the MSIDC flyover.
The PMC Road Department’s flyovers aimed at decongesting the Kharadi junction.

The controversial Y-shaped flyover at Shastrinagar, which citizens believe is “an unnecessary expenditure” given that BRTS corridors could be removed to create space.
The stalled Shivane–Kharadi bypass, which, once completed, would redirect 55% of traffic from the Nagar Road stretch.
The lack of land acquisition efforts along key choke points identified in the 1987 Development Plan (DP), leaving bottlenecks unresolved.
‘Development Must Not Be Wasteful’
Sukhrani said that civic authorities have not justified why large commercial buildings like the Mastercard office or Godrej high-rises are being allowed direct access to Nagar Road, which is already overburdened.
“What we are asking for is not unreasonable. Coordinated, accountable, and sustainable planning is essential when you are spending taxpayers’ money. Without that, this is just wasteful development,” she said.
The Forum had sent a legal notice on September 9, 2024, to top government officials including the PMC Commissioner, Police Commissioner, and the Maharashtra Urban Development Department. Despite a joint site visit on August 22 last year, they say no concrete action or follow-up has been taken since.
“We insisted on one platform for all stakeholders to come together and plan this properly — PMC, MahaMetro, MSIDC, Traffic Police — but we were ignored,” said a spokesperson from the Forum.

Citizens Demand Accountability
The Association reiterated that their objections are not against development but against fragmented and haphazard execution that threatens to permanently damage urban mobility.