PUNE: Once an aspirational address, crumbling infrastructure, daily traffic congestion and frequent accidents are now forcing an increasing number of residents to move out of the Gangadham Chowk-Kondhwa Road area in south Pune.
While a construction boom over the last 10 to 15 years brought hundreds of new housing societies and thousands of new homeowners to this area, the residents now complain of narrow, poorly maintained and encroached roads; absence of proper footpaths and streetlights; massive traffic jams during office and school hours; and frequent accidents, the latest having occurred on Wednesday wherein a young woman died after being hit by a speeding heavy vehicle. This breakdown has pushed many residents to take the difficult decision of leaving their homes either by selling their flats or putting them up on rent.
Shruti Rane, a software engineer who had purchased a 2BHK in a reputed society in this area, recently moved out to Baner. “We bought the flat thinking this would be a peaceful place to raise our daughter, but every day was a nightmare with bumper-to-bumper traffic, constant honking, and accidents right outside our gate. There were days when ambulances couldn’t get through. We complained multiple times to the PMC, our corporators and even filed online grievances but nothing changed. With a heavy heart, we rented out the flat and left. Safety had to come first,” Rane recalled.
Another resident, Iqbal Shaikh, a retired banker, shared a similar story. He shifted out of his flat in Kondhwa after an accident occurred just a few metres from his society gate. “A young delivery boy got seriously injured after being hit by a speeding vehicle. With no speed breakers or streetlights, it was a disaster waiting to happen. That day my wife broke down. We decided then and there that we would leave. We had waited for years hoping that the road would be widened or some action would be taken, but it only got worse. I finally sold the flat at a lower price and moved to Kharadi. At least now, I don’t have to fear for my family every time they step out,” Shaikh said.
{{/usCountry}}Another resident, Iqbal Shaikh, a retired banker, shared a similar story. He shifted out of his flat in Kondhwa after an accident occurred just a few metres from his society gate. “A young delivery boy got seriously injured after being hit by a speeding vehicle. With no speed breakers or streetlights, it was a disaster waiting to happen. That day my wife broke down. We decided then and there that we would leave. We had waited for years hoping that the road would be widened or some action would be taken, but it only got worse. I finally sold the flat at a lower price and moved to Kharadi. At least now, I don’t have to fear for my family every time they step out,” Shaikh said.
{{/usCountry}}Local activists and housing society members have voiced their concerns time and again, stating that while the area’s population and property prices have risen, civic infrastructure hasn’t kept pace. A long-pending road-widening project, meant to decongest the route from Gangadham Chowk to Kondhwa, remains incomplete, with multiple tenders being delayed or cancelled.
Citizens have called for immediate intervention by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and local MLAs to address the spiralling issues. Their demands include road expansion, proper traffic signals, regular maintenance, installation of CCTV cameras, and a stricter enforcement of traffic rules.