A 150-metre road stretch near Daga Hospital in Nagpur has been reopened after remaining closed for more than three years, easing congestion for motorists and local residents who had been forced to use a single carriageway for two-way traffic.
Traffic police removed the barricades on Saturday, a day after the Times of India reported the traffic chaos caused by the closure between Lal Imli Square and Ganja Khet Square. The reopening allowed vehicles to use the previously closed stretch and reduced pressure on the adjoining carriageway, which had been carrying traffic in both directions for years.
The closure continued despite the completion of the nearly Rs998 crore Indora-Dighori elevated corridor. The affected road lies near a busy junction where traffic also descends from the flyover ramp and arrives from Fawara Square. The combination of these movements had aggravated congestion along the stretch, according to the report.
The road had remained barricaded amid disputes and safety concerns. Cotton Market traffic zone police inspector Ajay Mankar had said that a shop on the stretch was involved in litigation pending before the high court. NHAI officials, however, claimed that they had already constructed a road beside the disputed shop.
Traffic police maintained that construction debris and the risk of wrong-side movement from the flyover ramp had made it necessary to keep the road closed. The competing explanations had contributed to uncertainty over why the road remained unavailable even after the elevated corridor was completed.
Residents said reopening the road had brought immediate relief, but urged authorities to complete the work needed for regular and safe traffic movement. Their demands include removing construction debris, clearing remaining obstructions and providing proper road markings along the stretch.
The road’s reopening also leaves coordination between NHAI and traffic police as an immediate operational requirement. Locals have asked both agencies to ensure that the stretch does not again become a bottleneck, particularly around the junctions and the flyover ramp where traffic flows converge.
The reopening addresses the immediate restriction, but the authorities have not indicated in the supplied report a separate deadline for debris removal, road marking or the clearance of all remaining obstructions. These works will determine whether the restored road can continue handling traffic without renewed congestion.
