Pune, 10 July 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun road widening work from the Katraj Market area to Satara Road. As part of this initiative, a storm water drainage pipeline is currently being laid, requiring extensive digging. However, the sluggish pace of the work has created significant traffic congestion in the area, prompting citizens to demand faster execution from the authorities.
Locals are facing major inconvenience due to the condition of the road. The partially dug-up trenches for the storm water pipeline, scattered cement blocks, and potholes along the roadside have disrupted smooth vehicular movement. The situation becomes particularly chaotic during morning and evening rush hours when traffic congestion peaks on this stretch.
Despite storing cement blocks along the roadside, there is little visible progress at the actual work site. The scene is marked by half-dug pits and an overall sense of negligence. Signs indicating "Work in Progress" have been put up, but authorities appear indifferent.
Vehicles entering the Katraj Chowk at speed find themselves stuck in a bottleneck near the Gandharva Lawns area, worsening the traffic woes. Citizens have noted that poor planning and execution have burdened the traffic police, who are left to manage the fallout.
Local resident Raju Kadam expressed his frustration, stating that the chaos is a direct result of the PMC’s delayed start to the storm water drain work, which should have been completed before the monsoon. Now, with rains in full swing, the already-slow work has come to a near standstill, making it even more urgent to accelerate the road-widening process to alleviate traffic issues.
In response, Dilip Pandkar, Deputy Engineer of PMC's Road Department, acknowledged the delay and explained that the ongoing rain has hampered progress. He assured that once the weather clears, the drainage work will be expedited. Following that, the actual road widening, adding 10 feet to the existing road, will commence, which is expected to ease traffic congestion in the area.