3 days Ago By Sarang Dastane
Pune: A massive traffic snarl greeted commuters using Sinhagad Road on Monday morning, especially in the Rajaram Bridge area. Long queues of vehicles snaked in both directions, with those headed from Wadgaon to Swargate facing more prolonged bottlenecks. Travellers slammed the delay in opening the new flyover on the route, claiming that this is a major reason behind the frequent jams here.
You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Regular commuter Swapnil Joshi, who was trapped in the snarl, said, "Despite being ready, the flyover is unopened. The delay is unnecessary as it adds to our commuting woes. Also, sudden closure of the Rajaram Bridge on Monday added to the chaos.
" The flyover's one wing — which covers over 2.2 km and caters to vehicles from Rajaram Bridge Chowk towards Wadgaon Budruk — is almost ready. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently conducted basic checks on the wing.
However, it remains shut for now. Mahesh Pokale, an activist from the Sinhagad Road-Dhayari area, claimed the authorities are waiting to inaugurate the flyover based on the chief minister's availability. "We do not know the reason behind the delay, but it will be good if the flyover is opened at the earliest.
Thousands of commuters face hardships daily. If the facility is for the common people, why must we wait for a formal inauguration? The function can be held later, too — let the amenity be made available on priority," he said. Hingane resident Sujit Atale said, "Commuters here have faced inconvenience for three years on this stretch due to flyover construction work.
Now, we are facing additional hassles due to the postponement of its launch." Meanwhile, civic officials admitted that barring some minor pending works, the flyover is mostly complete. Although it is likely that the facility will be opened to commuters on May 1, the civic administration is yet to confirm the details.
Political parties, including NCP (SP) and MNS, have demanded the immediate opening of the flyover. NCP (SP) city head Prashant Jagtap said their party had approached PMC to demand that the flyover be opened and the other wing be finished speedily. A city unit of MNS has announced an ultimatum of seven days for opening the flyover.
The flyover is a key project that will eliminate choking points for vehicles at more than seven junctions. At present, the wing towards Rajaram Bridge or Swargate is likely to take a couple of months more to get ready..
