E-Paper
Murals removed temporarily to ease traffic flow on Ganeshkhind road
The planning for the diversion is not done properly and it is a wastage of public money. When they make such traffic changes they should consult the public before taking any such a decision, says Vivek Velankar, RTI activist
The murals depicting the city’s journey from Punawadi to Modern Pune, under the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee flyover at the Agriculture College junction in Shivajinagar, have been removed to facilitate traffic on Ganeshkhind road. This gaping hole will now be a U-turn for vehicles going towards Aundh.
The murals were part of a beautification project undertaken five years ago using the MLA funds of Anil Bhosale, a former member of the legislative assembly, which were to the tune of crores of rupees.
“We received a letter seeking permission to dismantle part of the mural at the underpass from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) which has undertaken the Metro work from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar. There was an inspection done with the DCP traffic and PMRDA officials,” said an official from the special projects department requesting anonymity.
“We have removed 12 panels of the murals from the complete span. Nothing has been destroyed. We have kept them in a secured place and they will be reinstalled after the construction of the Metro,” said Vivek Kharvadkar, PMRDA.
He added, “As the metro work moves ahead on Ganeshkhind road, we will be stopping the intersection turn from Aundh towards Ganeshkhind road, right turn towards Hare Krishna mandir, Model Colony. Instead, vehicles will have to proceed straight until the Agriculture College bridge whereupon we have created a free right turn at the underpass for those who wish to go towards Hare Krishna Mandir, Model Colony.”
Shrikant Nagpure, a commuter, said, “I drive regularly to Deep Bangla Chowk via Model Colony for work, but with this diversion, it is going to be a costly affair, for that means two extra kilometres just for a turn and it is very tiring and stressful for my age. The traffic will not cease to exist instead it will be more chaotic.”
Vivek Velankar, RTI activist, “The planning for the diversion is not done properly and it is a wastage of public money. When they make such traffic changes they should consult the public before taking any such a decision.”
