Traffic bottleneck eased, but army yet to hand over land

Chaos still reigns on Pune-Mumbai highway as Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body unable to open 2-km stretch

A two-km stretch of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Pimpri-Chinchwad, infamous for its perennial traffic jams, has been widened to ease vehicular movement but the commuters' nightmare is not over yet.


Barricaded: A stretch of the revamped road is blocked with iron
frames and construction material. PIC/Jignesh Mistry

For, the army authorities, under whose jurisdiction the stretch falls, are yet to officially hand over the land to Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), making the civic unable to throw up the widened road to the traffic.

The civic body had widened the stretch from Phugewadi Octroi Post to the main entrance of College of Military Engineering (CME) three months ago. PCMC had entered into an agreement with the army for carrying the extension work last August. According to civic body officials, army officers have asked them to wait till the file is cleared by higher authorities. PCMC Coordinating engineer Dilip Kudale said the municipal body had completed all the necessary formalities that the army had asked for. Army officials, however, refused to comment on the issue.

The stretch witnesses heavy traffic during peak hours, particularly because of vehicles plying between Mumbai and Pune. When MiD-DAY visited the spot, the widened road was blocked with iron frames and construction material. Khushal Phuge, a businessman from Bhosari who often drives to Pune, said, "I usually have my meetings in the evening, but often reach late because of traffic bottleneck near the army college."