Pune’s revised Development Plan proposes narrower road widths across 50 roads in eight merged-village areas, including a reduction in the planned width of the state highway through Undri from 60 metres to 45 metres. The proposal is awaiting final approval from the Maharashtra government.
The changes form part of the revised draft Development Plan for nine villages merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2017. The plan has reached the final stage of approval nearly nine years after the merger. A state government-appointed committee had invited objections and suggestions from citizens, conducted hearings and submitted its report to the government.
According to the proposal, four roads originally planned at 36 metres would be reduced to 24 metres. Two roads planned at 30 metres would be narrowed to either 24 metres or 15 metres. Twenty roads with proposed widths of 24 metres would be reduced to between 18 metres and 12 metres, while 15 roads planned at 18 metres would be narrowed to either 15 metres or 12 metres.
The revision also proposes reducing four roads planned at 15 metres to 12 metres and five roads planned at 12 metres to nine metres. The affected areas are Lohegaon, Mundhwa, Hadapsar, Undri, Ambegaon Budruk, Ambegaon Khurd, Dhayari and Shivane-Uttamnagar.
Lohegaon has the highest number of affected roads, with 12 included in the proposal. Shivane-Uttamnagar follows with nine roads, while seven roads in Mundhwa, including Keshav Nagar, are covered. Hadapsar’s Sadesatranali area has five affected roads. The proposal covers six roads in Undri, four in Ambegaon Budruk, one in Ambegaon Khurd and six in Dhayari.
The changes have raised concerns about future connectivity and traffic management in areas experiencing rapid residential and commercial development. Population growth, rising construction activity and increasing vehicle numbers are putting additional pressure on roads in Pune’s peripheral neighbourhoods.
Several internal roads in the merged villages are already affected by unauthorised constructions, limiting the scope for future widening. The proposed reductions could further restrict the ability to expand the road network or create alternative routes after these areas become more densely developed.
The authorities have cited provisions under the regional development plan, existing structures, approved layouts, the status of land acquisition, natural drainage channels and canal boundaries as reasons for revising the road widths. Land excluded from the earlier road alignments would be incorporated into adjoining residential zones, reserved plots or other applicable land-use categories.
The revised draft was notified in the Maharashtra Government Gazette under Section 28(4). Its final provisions will be determined after approval by the state government, with residents of the affected areas awaiting clarity on the road alignments, highway width and future connectivity provisions.
