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Congestion continues at Katraj Chowk as PMC drags its feet on opening Kondhwa to Katraj stretch of road
Two weeks ago, the PMC placed a divider and opened one side of the road for traffic headed from Katraj to Kondhwa
Nearly four months after paying a whopping ₹21.57 crore in compensation for acquisition of the private land that was posing an obstacle to the construction of a 300-metre cement-concrete (CC) road near Katraj Chowk – a known traffic chokepoint in the city – the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has opened only one stretch of the road, leading to continued congestion for thousands of commuters who use this route daily.
Two weeks ago, the PMC placed a divider and opened one side of the road for traffic headed from Katraj to Kondhwa while the other side of the road for traffic headed from Kondhwa to Katraj highway continues to remain closed.
The PMC began construction of this road after acquiring a key land parcel at survey number 1/2 B belonging to one Sanjay Gugale that had been a major barrier for more than 28 years due to legal disputes. Initially, the PMC offered transfer of development rights (TDR) to the landowner but he declined and filed a writ petition. In 2005, the court ruled that the PMC could not use the land without formal acquisition, causing untold delay. It was in 2017 that the civic body finally changed reservation of the said plot from a park to a 60-metre development plan (DP) road. Even now, only the Katraj to Kondhwa stretch of the road is operational even as the Kondhwa to Katraj highway stretch remains closed. For now, residents are waiting for the PMC to follow through on its promise and fully open the road so as to ease the traffic situation.
Dilip Pandkar, deputy engineer, PMC road department, said, “We completed constructing the CC road after acquiring the private land from Gugale. The work began two weeks ago and the Katraj to Kondhwa stretch is now functional. This has eased some of the congestion.”
Assistant police inspector of the Katraj traffic division, Raja Rajkumar Barde, said, “The PMC has placed a divider and opened one stretch. But the other stretch from Kondhwa to Katraj highway is still pending. The zebra crossing is not yet complete. The PMC officials have assured us it will open by Wednesday. That will significantly reduce traffic at Katraj Chowk.”
Meanwhile, those who take this route frequently are growing impatient. Jyoti Jagtap from Kondhwa said, “We see half the road lying unused while we are stuck in traffic every day. How much longer do we have to wait?”
