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Kothrud residents petition PMC for better walkability around Vanaz metro station
The collective representation - submitted through local housing societies highlights persistent difficulties faced by daily walkers, especially senior citizens, school children, women, and metro commuters
More than 3,000 residents living in the area from Kinara Hotel to Balwantpuram Samrajya Cooperative Housing Society on Ramchandra Mane Road, Kothrud, have submitted signed petitions to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC); urging immediate improvements in pedestrian infrastructure along this critical stretch leading to Vanaz metro station. The collective representation - submitted through local housing societies, including Balwantpuram Samrajya Cooperative Housing Society - highlights persistent difficulties faced by daily walkers, especially senior citizens, school children, women, and metro commuters.
The petitions have been backed by a formal walkability assessment of the area around five metro stations namely Vanaz, Anand Nagar, Ideal Colony, Nal Stop, and Garware College covering 25 footpaths and over four kilometres of road length; carried out by the Nudge Group including Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC), Centre for Environment Education (CEE), and Save Pune Traffic Movement (SPTM). As per this assessment, Ramchandra Mane Road is not only among the most heavily used pedestrian routes but also among the most challenging. The assessment documents multiple issues such as uneven surfaces; nine clear footpath discontinuities; blocked walking spaces; vendor encroachments; tree-root obstructions; broken paver blocks; C&D waste dumped on the walkway; stretches where no footpath exists at all; and the lack of continuous, safe space forcing pedestrians to walk on roads.
The representation submitted by the residents specifically stresses that Ramchandra Mane Road acts as a primary connector for thousands of people walking daily to the Vanaz metro station, nearby schools, bus stops, shops, and residential societies. Due to intense vendor activity along key curves and near the Food Corner junction, movement becomes unsafe during peak hours. Construction debris, damaged tiles, open chambers, and advertisement hoardings add to the hazards. As per the residents’ petitions, these combined obstacles have made the entire stretch ‘unsafe, inconvenient, and dangerous’ for pedestrians.
Meanwhile, the walkability assessment supports these findings with detailed on-ground evidence. For V1 (Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Road), V2 (Kai Nanasaheb Sutar Road), and V3 (Swami Vivekanand Road), the team notes almost continuous encroachment by vendors and parked vehicles. V3 has zero footpaths, forcing pedestrians into vehicular lanes. V5 (Shripati Sutar Path) lacks kerb separation entirely, with uneven surfaces caused by tree pits and broken footpath tiles. The assessment concludes that pedestrian infrastructure in the area around all five metro stations is ‘either missing, broken or misused’.
Anita Kane, senior adviser at PKC, said, “Walking is a simple pleasure, but the condition of our footpaths makes it a daily adventure. I welcome the Maharashtra government’s government resolution (GR). The Nudge Group has audited 25 footpaths in Kothrud and Erandawane with community participation. I urge the PMC to use our audit report to accelerate the implementation directed by the GR.”
According to locals, it’s no longer just a matter of convenience but also one of safety and sustainable mobility, particularly because these roads act as last-mile feeders for the Metro. “The Metro is meant to solve traffic congestion, but if citizens cannot walk safely to the station, the purpose is defeated,” as per the residents’ representation. “Thousands of people walk to the Vanaz metro station every day, but the conditions here are unsafe and stressful. All we are asking for is a continuous, clean and obstruction-free footpath,” said Manoj Karnik, a resident.
