PMC identifies 38 hotspots where electric poles disrupt traffic
PMC allocates ₹50 crore to remove 38 obstructive electricity poles causing traffic jams since 2010, prioritizing safety and smooth flow on key roads.
Pune: After identifying as many as 38 hotspots, including major chowks and roads, where Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited’s (MSEDCL’s) electricity poles have been disrupting the smooth flow of traffic since 2010, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has allocated ₹50 crore for the removal of these obstructive poles. In a related development, the city police, under the leadership of additional commissioner of police Manoj Patil, has directed the PMC to prioritise the removal of all such electric poles.
According to the PMC road and electrical department, the relocation of these poles, along with distribution points (DPs), feeders and other hindrances, is expected to be completed within one year. Manisha Shekatkar, head of the PMC electrical department, said, “Our survey found 38 spots where traffic jams occur due to poles in the middle of the road. Priority is being given to strategic roads and chowks to ease congestion. Many of these roads are old and narrow, worsening the issue.”
As per the survey report, most of the affected roads have been built between 1999 and 2010, with the MSEDCL erecting poles, feeders, underground cables etc. at that time. With population growth, these poles are now hindering traffic. The problem is severe on Sinhagad Road, Ahmednagar Road, Katraj-Kondhwa Road, Satara Road, Dhayari, Wadgaon Sheri, Airport Road, Mohammed Wadi-Undri, Kondhwa, Kharadi and other suburban areas.
On his part, Sunil Koloti, director, Mohammed Wadi-Undri Residents Welfare Development Forum (MURWDF), said, “Since June 2023, we’ve been raising this issue with the PMC but no action has been taken. We are now relying on the police. The meeting called by the additional commissioner of police was reassuring as he promised immediate action. The PMC has failed and the MSEDCL ignores complaints. We hope MSEDCL’s cooperation will reduce risks for motorists and improve road safety. Resident safety must be prioritised.”
According to citizens’ forums, neither the PMC nor the MSEDCL are addressing the problem. Anzar Rade, a software professional, said, “These poles are dangerous, especially during loadshedding or heavy rain. At night, high beams from oncoming vehicles make them hard to spot.”
When contacted, MSEDCL officials pinned the blame on the PMC. Ongoing roadwork at the Kad Nagar-Undri junction has been hampered by poles, creating hazards during peak traffic. So much so that the traffic police have escalated the matter to the PMC and MSEDCL. Citizens’ forums have now demanded that the PMC and MSEDCL conduct an immediate assessment of the situation at Kad Nagar-Undri junction and collaborate to determine an alternative placement for the electricity poles that ensures motorists’ safety as well as uninterrupted flow of traffic.
