E-Paper
German consul general complains about potholes and traffic jams on Pune roads
The German consul general and representatives of German firms complained about potholes at major chowks between Pimpri Chinchwad and Chakan and also about long queues of trucks moving at slow speed to avoid the potholes causing traffic jams.
Potholes are not only creating problems for residents of Pune, but also for expats commuting to Chakan for work. Representatives from 15 German firms led by Jurgen Morhard, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany in Mumbai on Monday met district collector Naval Kishore Ram and Pune rural superintendent of police Sandip Patil and discussed their problems with the district administration.
Among the issues the German firms raised were the potholes, law and order, and traffic management, said those present at the meeting.
The representatives complained about potholes at major chowks between Pimpri Chinchwad and Chakan and also about long queues of trucks moving at slow speed to avoid the potholes causing traffic jams.
Mira Dalvi Sahni, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), regional director, Pune, said, “There are at least 320 German companies in the city, out of which 35 companies are in Chakan and five to six companies have approached the consul with their complaints about the potholes in the area. They met him this weekend,” Sahni said.
The issues was then taken up with district collector and other officials from the departments concerned.
Morhard said, ‘While interacting with the representatives of Chakan-based companies on my trip to Pune on Sunday (July 14), they complained about pothole-ridden roads and traffic congestion in the area which leads to long commuting hours. With more than five companies approaching me, I thought it was a serious matter and so I took up the issue with the collector of Pune on Monday.”
These are basic utilities which need to be attended to if the companies are to re-invest, he said.
“My aim is to keep the investors happy with all the facilities,” added Morhard.
A representative from Volkswagen on condition of anonymity said, “I live in Koregaon Park and travel to work to Chakan. Usually, the travel time is around one hour, but during and after rains, it takes me at least one hour forty minutes or sometimes two hours while returning home in the evening.”
“The roads here are in a bad state and I have developed a backache due to this. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) should fill up the potholes and find a permanent solution to the problem,” he added.
Collector of Pune, Naval Kishore Ram, said that it was a prearranged meeting with the German consul and German company representatives, who discussed all the issues like law and order, potholes and bad roads.
“I have already assured them that all the issues will be resolved,” he said.
Regional officer for MIDC, Sanjiv Deshmukh, was present for the meeting between Consul General of Germany and representatives of German companies in Chakan with the collector.
“There is no problem in the roads under MIDC’s jurisdiction. The companies are complaining about the entry road from Chakan which are under the Public Works Department (PWD). We had only one query on our side and that was of the Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) gas connection, which we clarified,” said Deshmukh.
