In response to mounting safety concerns and rising accident rates, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has issued a directive to impose a ban on heavy traffic during specific hours along the Katraj-Kondhwa road. Under this directive, heavy traffic will be restricted from 10 AM to 12 AM and 5 PM to 7 PM, coinciding with school and college hours.
This decision was made as part of a comprehensive meeting where Ajit Pawar, in collaboration with key municipal and state officials, addressed various urban challenges affecting Pune.
In addition to managing traffic, Pawar emphasized the need to expedite stalled roadwork projects. He recommended engaging with landowners and exploring alternative solutions to overcome obstacles.
The meeting, attended by Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vikram Kumar, Additional Commissioner Kunal Khemnar, and Vikas Dhakne, among others, also delved into a range of civic concerns. Former NCP corporators raised pressing issues, encompassing concerns from unsanitary school toilets to incomplete water tank projects.
Pawar presented a series of initiatives aimed at improving Pune’s overall quality of life. These included the swift transfer of Zilla Parishad schools to the Education Board of the Municipal Corporation, the establishment of a sports university near Mohammadwadi, and a focus on prioritizing 80 percent completed building projects.
Turning attention to public healthcare, Pawar called for immediate action to construct hospitals through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and to kick-start the Science City project at Mundhwa.
Regarding infrastructural development, the discussion included a proposal for a new flyover stretching from Hadapsar to Yawat. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been instructed to conduct a feasibility study for comprehensive projects, encompassing six-lane roads, flyovers, and metros on key routes.
The meeting was attended by several prominent figures, including MLAs Chetan Tupe and Sunil Tingre, NCP city president Deepak Mankar, working president Pradeep Deshmukh, and former mayors, among other dignitaries.
