E-Paper
Katraj-Kondhwa Road witnessed 56 accidents including 24 deaths since 2018
According to residents, the Katraj-Kondhwa Road sees a very high volume of traffic and due to the pending road-widening work and scores of potholes, it has become a magnet for major and minor accidents taking place almost every other day
The accident on Thursday – wherein a motorcyclist was killed and five others grievously injured after the brakes of a container failed on the crematorium slope of the Katraj-Kondhwa Road – has brought to the fore the growing notoriety of this road as a death trap for both residents and commuters. Turns out that since 2018, the 3.5 km road has witnessed nearly 56 accidents which have claimed 24 lives.
According to residents, the Katraj-Kondhwa Road sees a very high volume of traffic and due to the pending road-widening work and scores of potholes, it has become a magnet for major and minor accidents taking place almost every other day.
According to the traffic police, the widening of the Katraj-Kondhwa Road was sanctioned in 2018. The road begins at Rajas Society and ends at Khadi Machine Chowk, extending till Pisoli. The PMC had allocated ₹241 crores for the road-widening work out of which ₹48 crores have been spent. The road requires a total outlay of ₹710 crores for land acquisition and remains incomplete because of land acquisition problems. While the stretch from Rajas Society to Kapila Amrut Dairy has been completed, work on an underground bypass is still going on at Khadi Machine Chowk. Despite spending crores of rupees, the incomplete road is causing accidents.
The road department of the PMC has now undertaken road-widening work on priority basis but instead of keeping the width of 84 metres as per the original plan, the revised plan envisages a width expansion of only 50 metres, including the construction of the service road.
Heavy vehicles headed towards Andhra Pradesh and Chennai via the Mumbai-Solapur highway find it convenient to use the Katraj-Kondhwa bypass. “The road has been very busy for the past 10 years. The rapid urbanisation of the area has brought the road inside the city, and it is today occupied by tempos, autos, two-wheelers and other vehicles that cause heavy traffic jams. We have been following up on the issue with the state government including the PMC for a long time but the work is moving at a very slow pace. The rate of accidents on the road has risen and urgent measures are needed to make this road safe and secure for the commuters and area residents,” said civil rights activist and prominent social worker, Jaymala Dhankikar.
Police inspector Santosh Sonawane said, “We are working closely with the traffic department and PMC for an early resolution to the road issue. At the same time, an adequate number of policemen will be deployed to reduce the hardships of the commuters.”
Additional commissioner Vikas Dhakane said, “Talks are underway with the landowners for land acquisition and we will complete the process at the earliest.”
