Traffic awareness week at Baner till April 22

PUNE After several complaints registered with the Chaturshrungi traffic police, and with Baner-Balewadi corporator Amol Balwadkar, traffic awareness week will be observed from April 18-23 at Radha chowk, Baner, which is the most chaotic

PUNE After several complaints registered with the Chaturshrungi traffic police, and with Baner-Balewadi corporator Amol Balwadkar, traffic awareness week will be observed from April 18-23 at Radha chowk, Baner, which is the most chaotic.

Volunteers stand at Radha chowk, Baner as part of traffic awareness week will be observed from April 18-23. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Although there are signals at the chowk, they are hardly in use as this chowk is part of the national highway and has witnessed mile-long traffic jams. “Traffic jam is an everyday affair here, and with vehicles converging at the chowk from the highway and the service road and cutting across from Baner to Mhalunge is very chaotic, and difficult to manage,” said Uma Gadgil, Baner resident.

Arun Walture, retired ACP also commented that he has written several letters to Pune traffic police, but with less man power, it is difficult to find men to man the traffic.

Balwadlkar said, “In the past few weeks, I have been visiting various societies for meetings, and for most of them the priority was traffic jam at Radha chowk and Saikar chowk.After discussing the issue with DCP Traffic Rahul Srirame, 10-15 wardens will be deployed for the awareness week.”

The traffic police working along with Balwadkar have identified more such chowks which are perennial traffic spots. “We plan to post these wardens with traffic police at Saikar chowk, Mamta chowk, Nanaware chowk and Ganpati chowk within Baner and Balewadi to smoothen the traffic clog,” said Prakash Masalkar, PI traffic, Chaturshrungi traffic police division.