Despite the Chandani Chowk project, area residents have continued to face severe traffic congestion and unsafe roads but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears which is why hundreds of residents took to the streets on Friday to protest the inaction on the part of the authorities in this regard. At around 9.30 am on Friday, hundreds of citizens residing in housing societies at Chandani Chowk led a silent march in protest of the authorities’ apathy towards the issues faced by them in connection with travelling through the chowk, bypass highway and connecting roads around the chowk.
Mandar Gosavi, a resident, said, “The service roads along the highway from Warje to Wakad are not ‘one-ways’. Only the service road along Chandani Chowk next to Veda Bhavan is a one-way. Therefore, there is no proper road for residents to travel to and from. We should get a safe road and until such time, the road next to the highway should be made available to us for two-way traffic.”
Mohan Anturkar, another resident, said, “Traffic wardens should turn on their lights while approaching the Varad Colony. Which means you would get support to cross the road. Due to the steep slope and street lighting, it has become dangerous to turn the car and bring it down the slope.” While the president of the Akhil Veda Bhavan Mitra Mandal, Yogesh Kadam, said, “Citizens of Veda Bhavan should get a proper road; the hill is partially broken and citizens are confused by wrong direction boards.”
By placing a board which directs towards the NDA, most vehicles turn towards Veda Bhavan. It is only later that they realise their mistake and have to take a U-turn which often leads to accidents. In the suit that the citizens had filed in the Supreme Court, the court ruled in their favour, but as it was not implemented, it constituted contempt of court. “The cost of filing a contempt petition is beyond our control. The common man never takes to the streets but on Friday, people from various societies took to the streets to protest the unbearable daily problems we are facing,” said Vedacharya Moreshwar Ghaisas Guruji.
{{/usCountry}}By placing a board which directs towards the NDA, most vehicles turn towards Veda Bhavan. It is only later that they realise their mistake and have to take a U-turn which often leads to accidents. In the suit that the citizens had filed in the Supreme Court, the court ruled in their favour, but as it was not implemented, it constituted contempt of court. “The cost of filing a contempt petition is beyond our control. The common man never takes to the streets but on Friday, people from various societies took to the streets to protest the unbearable daily problems we are facing,” said Vedacharya Moreshwar Ghaisas Guruji.
{{/usCountry}}Chandani Chowk project consultant Bharat Todkari said, “The work of one underpass is remaining and it is expected to be completed in the next two months. When that happens, there will be a dual path. Some of the complaints of the citizens are related to the Pune Municipal Corporation and only they can solve it.”