Pune: Commuters Suffer as PMC’s Concreting Work Leads to Traffic Standstill on Dattanagar to PICT Main Road
Pune, 1st April 2024: The ongoing concreting work along the Dattanagar to PICT main road has caused significant disruption for the past two to three weeks. Citizens are facing extensive traffic congestion on alternate routes due to the sluggish pace of work, with neither the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) nor the traffic police making adequate efforts to alleviate the situation.
Repeated complaints to the police control room from frustrated citizens have gone unanswered, fueling anger and resentment among the populace. Simultaneously, PMC’s initiatives to undertake pipeline and cement road works in Dhankawadi, Katraj Milk Dairy, and Bharti University areas have compounded the issue, forcing residents to navigate through congested alleys to reach their destinations.
Lack of wardens from PMC and insufficient staffing by the traffic police exacerbate the challenges faced by commuters, particularly during peak office hours. Moreover, the contractor responsible for the roadworks has failed to provide essential information regarding the nature of the work, tender number, and expected completion duration on site.
Road closure signs have been erected without indicating alternative routes, leading drivers to navigate through residential alleys in search of detours. Concerns have also been raised regarding the quality of work, as inadequate watering of the concrete may compromise its durability, potentially causing future problems. Technical difficulties, particularly concerning drainage and rainwater management, add to the complexity of the situation.
The construction method employed, involving the layering of cement without excavating the existing asphalt road, has raised the road’s height, posing challenges for local businesses whose establishments are now situated below road level. Representatives of the affected citizens, including Madhukar Valunjkar, Shantanu Pendharkar, Anil Powar, Kisanrao Ovhal, NT Wagh, Ashok Bhujbal, Vishwas Suryavanshi, Digambar Yadav, Milind Phatak, Dhaval Thete, Hrishikesh Oval, and Ketan Mohite, have voiced their concerns to the PMC Commissioner.
Madhukar Valunjkar, a resident of the area, lamented the lack of response from the police control room despite multiple attempts to highlight the issue, emphasizing the need for prompt action to address the ongoing challenges faced by the community.
