PMRDA acquires 90% land, clearing decks for Bhugaon bypass road

A three-kilometre stretch of the Pune-Kolad highway passing through Bhugaon village sees heavy traffic

Pune

Tourists flock to scenic resorts in Mulshi and Konkan, especially during weekends and holidays and they have no option but to travel through Bhugaon. (HT PHOTO)

Soon, commuters will get some relief from the traffic congestion on Tamhini Ghat Road with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) making headway in terms of acquiring 90% of the land for the Bhugaon bypass.

A three-kilometre stretch of the Pune-Kolad highway passing through Bhugaon village sees heavy traffic as it connects the city with popular tourist destinations in Mulshi and Konkan apart from being used by nearby villages. It is this stretch which contributes the most to the traffic congestion on the Chandani Chowk to Kolad (district Raigad) route.

Tourists flock to scenic resorts in Mulshi and Konkan, especially during weekends and holidays and they have no option but to travel through Bhugaon. No sooner than the commuters enter Bhugaon that their traffic woes begin. The cement-concretisation work on the Pune-Kolad highway has been in progress since the past three years and is almost complete except in some parts, including the stretch passing through Bhugaon.

The PMRDA had proposed an 18 metres’ wide and 800 metres’ long Bhugaon bypass in the development plan (DP). An estimated 1.44 hectares of land would be required for this bypass; the land belongs to a total of 41 landowners.

Ramdas Jagtap, deputy collector of the PMRDA, said, “We were pursuing matters to take consent from these landowners. Finally, we were successful and 37 plot holders have signed a consent letter recently and given permission to handover the land to the PMRDA by accepting floor space index (FSI) or transfer development rights (TDR) as compensation. The process of issuing TDR and FSI certificates will take one or two months after which, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will start actual road work.”

After land acquisition is complete, the PMRDA will handover the land to the MSRDC which will construct the Bhugaon bypass road with the help of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). With the landowners relenting to the acquisition of their land, a major roadblock has been removed and work on the Bhugaon bypass road will be completed as soon as possible.

Rahul Mahiwal, metropolitan commissioner, PMRDA, said, “After receiving advance possession consent of the landowners for the construction of the Bhugaon bypass road, the said area will soon be handed over to the MSRDC and further action will be taken which will help in reducing the congestion on this road.”

Anil Karanjavane, a resident of Bhugaon, said, “The Pune-Kolad highway is passing through the village and it is very narrow. Hence, traffic jams have ruined our lives. The bypass will help solve our problems.”

Jivan Kamble, an area resident, said, “The traffic has increased after completion of the Pune-Kolad cement-concretisation work. Now, most people are using Tamhini Ghat Road to reach Konkan. Many people are visiting the Tamhini Ghat as it is a popular tourist destination. Therefore, we face tremendous traffic congestion during weekends and holidays. We hope that the bypass will solve our problems but the road work should be completed as soon as possible.”