Pune: Repeated Delays in Anandvan Slope Road Construction Cause Discontent among NIBM Road, Mohammadwadi, and Undri Residents
Kondhwa, 6th June 2023: Residents of NIBM Road, Mohammadwadi, and Undri have expressed their frustration with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s road department over the repeated delays in the construction of the Anandvan slope road in Mohammadwadi. The road, which has been closed to vehicular traffic since April, was initially supposed to reopen during the first week of May.
However, the PMC subsequently changed the reopening date to June 6, and now claims that it will be opened on June 10. These delays have left residents disappointed and concerned about the impact on school-going children and daily commutes.
Avinash Kamthe, the PMC sub-engineer in charge of the slope reduction work, stated, “Currently, we are completing road curbing work and giving final touches to the side margins. Although we had announced the road opening on June 6, we now plan to open it on June 10 as some final work is still in progress. We want to ensure that no pending work remains and, therefore, rescheduled the road opening.”
Danish Khan, a resident of Imperial Housing Society, expressed his frustration, saying, “We have been following up on the issue of slope reduction since 2018, but the PMC kept delaying it, causing inconvenience to citizens. Currently, the work is progressing at a slow pace, and we doubt whether the road will be opened on June 10. The sluggish progress raises doubts about the PMC’s ability to meet the deadline.”
Prominent social worker Jaymala Dhankikar from Mohammadwadi highlighted the adverse impact of the road closure on the local economy, with restaurants, hotels, and eateries having to shut down due to a lack of customers. She also expressed concerns about the traffic chaos that will ensue during the monsoon season, as alternate roads like the NIBM-Undri link road and Mohammadwadi-Undri link road cannot handle the increasing number of vehicles. Dhankikar warned that if the PMC fails to repair the roads in a timely manner, they will file a First Information Report (FIR) against the civic body for endangering lives.
The PMC’s road department is investing Rs 3 crore to reduce the slope from 10 feet to 3 feet and widen it to 24 meters. This slope is the only access road to the affluent Mohammadwadi area and has become a major traffic bottleneck.
In a separate incident on May 20, an accident occurred at Palace Orchards on NIBM Road, resulting in multiple vehicles colliding and causing two fatalities. Following the accident, traffic was diverted from the affected stretch. Despite the PMC’s initial claim to install rumblers on the road, no such activity has taken place. Additionally, the palace orchard chowk requires complete redesigning, and tar layering work needs to be carried out.
Residents organized a protest march, condemning the PMC for its inaction and delays in road construction. An RTI query on property tax collected by the PMC from the area revealed that approximately Rs 223 crore was collected, but the information regarding the specific allocation of funds for road and water supply infrastructure development in the area was not provided.
The PMC’s road department now faces growing pressure from residents to expedite the construction process and ensure the timely completion of the Anandvan slope road, addressing the concerns of the affected communities.
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