Pune MLA Demands Action on Decade-Long Infrastructure Delays
In a heated session of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Thursday, Wadgaon Sheri's NCP (SP) MLA Bapu Pathare raised urgent concerns about Pune's escalating traffic congestion. Pathare attributed the daily hardships faced by commuters directly to the sluggish pace of critical infrastructure projects, including ring roads and elevated corridors.
Assembly Debate Highlights Persistent Delays
The MLA participated in a discussion on a motion moved by the opposition under rule 293, where he spotlighted how long-pending projects continue to inconvenience Pune residents. "It is over 10 years and the work of the inner and outer ring roads project is still going on," Pathare stated emphatically. He recalled that the late Ajit Pawar had been pushing for its swift completion during the current Mahayuti term, questioning who would now take responsibility to accelerate progress and provide relief to the public.
Elevated Corridors Remain Stalled
Pathare specifically criticized the lack of advancement on elevated corridors intended to ease traffic flow on Nagar Road and Hadapsar Road. "Union minister Nitin Gadkari is appreciated for supervising speedy road works across the country. However, the elevated corridors projects he had announced have failed to take off in Pune," he remarked. He detailed two key projects that remain unimplemented:
- A double-decker elevated corridor from Pune to Ranjangaon, which exists only on paper.
- An elevated corridor from Bhairoba Nala to Yavat on the Pune-Solapur highway, which has also not commenced.
These delays force commuters, especially within Pune Municipal Corporation limits, to endure hours of daily traffic congestion, severely impacting their quality of life.
Call for State Intervention
The NCP (SP) has formally demanded that the state government step in to expedite all road projects and alleviate Pune's traffic woes. Pathare warned that without immediate action, the situation could deteriorate further in the coming years. "The civic and district administration of Pune is not keen to expedite these projects. The public works department is also just sitting on it. The state must intervene at the earliest," he asserted, highlighting a perceived lack of urgency among local authorities.
This assembly intervention underscores a growing frustration among Pune's populace and their representatives over infrastructure inertia that exacerbates urban mobility challenges.
