E-Paper
Commute from Chandani chowk to Pirangut a threat to life for residents
Road that passes through two grampanchyats is riddled with potholes, uneven, covered with rubble, dug up in at some spots and have iron rods peeping from ground
A 12-km stretch of road passing through Pirangut, Bhukam and Bhugaon and all the way till Chandani chowk is riddled with potholes, uneven, covered with rubble, dug up in at some spots and giving bumpy rides to residents in the area from the past five months.
The road that passes through two gram panchayats is covered with rubble and potholes so there is always a risk of skidding from my two-wheeler, says Meenakshi Hiremath.
Hiremath and her daughter Rakhi left Kothrud to live in their own spacious home in Bhugaon and now are facing inconvenience due to the incomplete road work on the entire stretch.
“I skidded off my motobike while going to college, because the road is covered with rubble and there is so much dust swirling around, that it is difficult to ride the bike,” said Rakhi who hurt her leg while riding her two-wheeler recently. While her mother has lost her confidence of riding her motorbike looking at the way large trucks swerve on the half made road, without a care for the two-wheelers. “Besides, one has to be careful riding on the partially cemented road, as shopkeepers on the side of the road splash water to settle the dust and that causes more accidents,” added Meenakshi, who used to work as a counsellor at a school in the area.
Near Chandani chowk there is constant traffic on the road, which is precarious and dangerous on the turns with no barricades and only partial to use. The rest of the road is dug up from the old toll naka near Vanashree Garden until hotel Patil Wada, where a part of the road is still the old road with double width and then it tapers to a single road, which is a very narrow. There are huge potholes reeking and flooded with drainage seepage making the road murky and smelly, say residents in the area.
Tanveer Makandar, a rickshaw driver, said, “People often book my auto from rickshaw app from Pirangut until Forest Trails and often it is a risky and bumpy ride. It takes more than 45 minutes to reach Chandani chowk due to the bad state of the road and traffic, when usually it should not take more than 25 minutes.”
Outside Dault Dhaba on the stretch of the road, several iron rods, used for construction of the road are peeping out of the ground and are dangerous while travelling or even their clothes get caught in them and tear.
“At night, these rods as well as the half made roads are not visible hence it is very difficult to drive,” said resident Shyam Gugle, who owns a fabrication workshop in Bhugaon and travels daily to Pune.
The road is riddled with potholes near Manas Resort with hanging wires disrupting the view of the vehicles as they drive close to these wires.
Manohar Thorpade, a resident of the area, said, “We were happy when they announced a four-way lane that could ease off the traffic in the area. Now, the authorities are testing our patience and the slow pace of work on the stretch is causing inconvenience and is accident prone.”
Abasaheb Nagargoje, superintend engineer, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), who are looking at concretising the entire stretch of road, said, “I am unable to reply to your query as I am busy in meeting with Nitin Gadkari.
