Residents of Hinjawadi, Maan and Marunji have urged authorities to complete pending road repairs and safety works connecting the settlements to Hinjawadi IT Park before regular office traffic resumes after the Diwali long weekend.
The roads leading to the IT Park and neighbouring areas have potholes, uneven surfaces and damaged edges that residents say are slowing vehicles and contributing to traffic congestion. They have asked the agencies responsible for the roads to use the relatively lighter traffic during the consecutive holidays to complete the remaining work.
The demands include filling potholes on major and internal roads, levelling uneven surfaces, constructing roadside shoulders, applying lane markings and installing zebra crossings at accident-prone locations. Residents have also sought blinkers, traffic signboards, removal of road obstructions and clearance of encroachments from footpaths.
Last week, the District Collector issued an ultimatum to the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority and other concerned agencies to repair damaged roads. Following the directive, repair work began on several stretches. However, residents said important works were still incomplete and called for coordination among all agencies responsible for roads and traffic safety in the area.
Ravi Bodke, former deputy sarpanch of Maan, said several roads continued to lack proper roadside shoulders and lane markings, while zebra crossings were missing at dangerous locations. He also pointed to uneven road edges as a risk for motorists.
“These conditions are an open invitation to accidents. The authorities should utilise the consecutive holidays to complete the pending works and make all roads safe. Providing safe roads to lakhs of commuters would be the best Diwali gift for citizens,” Bodke said.
Ganesh Jambhulkar, former sarpanch of Hinjawadi, urged authorities to inspect all roads connecting the IT Park and complete the necessary works. He said the reduced traffic during the holidays provided an opportunity to finish repairs without causing major inconvenience to commuters.
“Since traffic is relatively lighter during the consecutive holidays, this is the right time to complete the pending work. All concerned agencies should coordinate and ensure that the roads are ready before regular traffic resumes. This would be a real Diwali gift for lakhs of commuters,” Jambhulkar said.
The residents’ appeal comes as roads serving one of Pune’s major employment hubs face the prospect of returning to heavy daily traffic. The immediate next step is for the PMRDA and other concerned agencies to complete the identified repairs, markings, crossings and roadside safety works during the holiday period.
