Pune: Concerns Mount as Ramwadi-Viman Nagar-Chandan Nagar BRT Road Records 24 Accidents in Five Months
Viman Nagar, 29th November 2023: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route on the Ramwadi-Viman Nagar-Chandan Nagar stretch has become a cause for concern due to a series of accidents, totalling 24 in the last five months. Despite being implemented to alleviate traffic bottlenecks, the BRT road has failed to address the congestion issue and, instead, has become a frequent site for collisions.
The accidents have caused significant damage to vehicles, leading to traffic jams and inconveniences for commuters. Locals are raising questions about the effectiveness and planning of the BRT route, demanding concrete measures to improve safety and traffic flow.
The latest incident involved an overturned ethylene oxide gas tanker at Viman Nagar Ramwadi, resulting in a gas leak. Prompt responses from the fire brigade and the police prevented a major accident.
Major accidents, involving various vehicles such as trucks, cars, buses, and tankers, occur every eight to ten days on this route. Notably, there have been nine accidents at Maruti Chowk in Viman Nagar BRT and seven accidents in Chandan Nagar BRT in the past five months.
Despite ongoing accidents and concerns raised by locals, there is a perceived lack of effective measures from the municipal administration. Residents, including Ashish Mane, Sanket Galande, Mahendra Pathare, and Karim Sheikh, have corresponded with the administration, and staged protests, but claim that no noticeable actions have been taken. Activist Qaneez Sukhrani has also taken up the matter with the PMC.
There are growing demands from locals to reconsider and potentially remove the BRT from the city road due to safety concerns and the perceived failure of the system to address traffic congestion.
