Punctures in dividers on Pune-Nashik highway to be fixed to ease traffic mess at Chakan

The survey of the Pune-Nashik highway found that the dividers had been damaged at various locations and vehicles were using these punctures or access points to cross over to the other side without taking U-turns

To ease traffic snarls in the Chakan industrial belt and on Pune-Nashik highway, Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh has ordered immediate measures including repairing dividers wherever they have been illegally broken, acting against persons responsible for such puncturing, and removing encroachments on the road by taking police help if necessary.

Traffic at Chakan (HT FILE PHOTO)

“We carried out two surveys recently; one of the Pune-Bengaluru highway mainly near Narhe, where the maximum number of road accidents have been reported and the other of Pune-Nashik highway for traffic purposes. Both surveys had different intentions. On Pune-Bengaluru highway, our main intention was to address the road accidents as accidents take place repeatedly. On the Pune-Nashik highway, there was the issue of traffic snarls. Private companies also helped us carry out this study of the Pune-Nashik highway,” Deshmukh said.

The survey of the Pune-Nashik highway found that the dividers had been damaged at various locations and vehicles were using these punctures or access points to cross over to the other side without taking U-turns. The survey found that these divider access points were obstructing the smooth flow of traffic.

“We have asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to close all illegal punctures immediately. We have even instructed them to carry out continuous inspection of the road. We have asked the local authorities to take action against all encroachments and if necessary, take police help,” Deshmukh said.

The survey report contains various recommendations, including eliminating the bottlenecks at a few places that are majorly obstructing the traffic. The district administration on its part has decided to carry out all recommendations and has instructed the concerned departments to take immediate action.

On October 20 this year, industries minister Uday Samant met industry bodies, officials of various departments, local public representatives, and Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissioner Ankush Shinde regarding the problems faced by industries including traffic. After severe criticism from industrialists, the minister had promised to resolve these issues starting with immediate measures to decongest traffic and the frequent power cuts at Chakan industrial estate.

Dilip Batwal, secretary, Federation of Chakan Industries, had said, “For the last 15 years, we are fighting for only one issue to get better roads and solve daily traffic jams. There is no government in the last 15 years that we have not contacted. Everyone gives assurances and then nothing happens. We hope that yesterday’s meeting will bring some change and resolve our long-pending problem.”