E-Paper
Road closed for school development irks Bavdhan citizens as alternative road incomplete
This nine-metre road was constructed 15 years ago and connects residents of Silver Brook, Satin Hills, and Feel Bliss to their societies and students to their institutes
The road leading to Padmabhooshan Vasantdada Patil Institute of Technology (PVPIT), IndSearch Institute of Management Studies and Research (Indsearch) and several housing societies in Bavdhan has been unilaterally closed since Saturday, citing ‘school development’ reasons, even as residents complain that the alternative road under construction near Nyati Equinox remains incomplete.
This nine-metre road was constructed 15 years ago and connects residents of Silver Brook, Satin Hills, and Feel Bliss to their societies and students to their institutes.
Parallel to this road, is a diversion near Nyati Equinox that is under construction as part of PMC’s Development Plan (DP). According to officials from the road department, this DP road will have a budget of ₹1.5 crore and will be at least 24 metres wide, complete with footpaths. The old road and the DP road together merge to connect to the said establishments. The work on the DP road began in 2018, however, it is still incomplete.
In September, residents observed that construction workers for DP road were dumping debris on the old road. However, this was stopped by a corporator. However, since Saturday, citizens state that the road was sealed without prior notice.
According to PMC officials, the residents will have to continue to use the DP road for travel.
Prasad Walavalkar, chairman, Satin Hills Housing Society, said, “We saw the construction workers building a cemented blockage, they said they received a notice from PMC. With the now-closed road, individuals are challenged to use the incomplete DP road and the narrow turning.”
Though DP road is open to commute, many residents have made online complaints to the PMC about the road’s inaccessibility because of the ongoing construction. Residents allege that the road is poorly lit.
Ashish Bakhle from Satin Hills Housing Society, said, “Right at the turning, there is a MSEDCL transformer. Often heavy vehicles and concrete mixers pass, making it risky for students. The road is also slippery due to boulders.”
Satish Shinde, PMC building inspector for Kothrud-Bavhdan area said, “The old road is a plot of land that needs to be handed over to the corporation. We found out that the estate and management department had given the builder a notice to make a compound wall as per the terms of handover. The notice required to build a board with the name PMC on it, to clean the reserved area due to road traffic, and to build boundaries.”
Ajit Sanas, junior engineer, Estate and Management Department, PMC said, “We had given a notice to the builders on November 30, 2022 for handing over the internal road to PMC to build a primary school and playground. However, when these projects will start is still indefinite. But in line with the handover process formalities, we built a compound wall on the internal road. This road will be completely shut and citizens have to use DP road to commute.”
On being asked on why citizens were not informed of the road closure, Sanas mentioned, “We felt like there was no need to inform the citizens because an alternative road is being constructed. For those concerned about the water pipelines, we will ensure provisions of shifting the main water pipeline from internal road to DP road.”
