Residents demand elimination of blackspots on Katraj-Kondhwa road

According to area residents, there are blackspots at at least two more chowks on the road as commuters travel from Katraj to Kondhwa and back

The immediate need to identify and address black spots on Katraj-Kondhwa road was underlined after the Thursday’s accident that claimed a biker and injured five others as a container truck hit several vehicles. PMC’s efforts to reduce traffic congestion at these dangerous spots have been far from satisfactory with citizens alleging that high density traffic volume of the road and construction of high-rises around the connecting road was one of the prime reasons behind the rising number of traffic accidents on the road.

PMC’s efforts to reduce traffic congestion at these dangerous spots have been far from satisfactory with citizens alleging that high density traffic volume of the road and construction of high-rises around the connecting road was one of the prime reasons behind the rising number of traffic accidents on the road. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

According to area residents, there are blackspots at at least two more chowks on the road as commuters travel from Katraj to Kondhwa and back.

Member of Parliament Supriya Sule expressed concern behind the rising number of accidents on Katraj-Kondhwa road, “Constant accidents and traffic jams are taking place and permanent measures must be taken to end the menace,” she tweeted.

Sule said that the guardian minister and administration of the district need to think seriously about this.

‘In today’s accident eight vehicles were damaged due to brake failure of the container. This includes the school bus. Also, one person lost his life. Due to this accident, the traffic was standstill for almost two to three hours. The place where the accident took place is narrow and prone to accidents. Unfortunate incidents happen here continuously. In the past, many citizens have also faced serious injuries in small and big accidents at the spot. It is necessary to take permanent measures to prevent this,” she stated.

Saleem Mulla, president, Maharashtra Waqf Liberation and Protection Task Force, a social organisation working for citizens, said, “The entire load of new population residing at Tilekarnagar is on Katraj-Kondhwa road. Besides, it is a convenient bypass to Solapur and Saswad by many road users. The road was never developed properly. Traffic control is completely missing and we need more traffic policemen to decongest the area,”

Sanjeev Ghule Patil, a resident of Tilekarnagar said, “The area is one of the important blackspots on the road and there is very heavy traffic where many two-wheeler riders flout traffic rules. Inadequate traffic cops on the stretch is also one of the important reasons behind lack of enforcement of traffic rules.”

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vijay Magar said that accident spots on the road are prevalent due to pending issues like land acquisition. “The civic body cannot move ahead with road widening plan due to pending litigation in court.”