Pune, 15 July 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had earlier claimed that traffic congestion at Katraj Junction would ease within 15 days after taking possession of a private plot for road expansion. The land was acquired at a cost of ₹21.57 crore, and the road department even began laying a cement concrete road soon after. However, several months later, the road connecting Katraj to Kondhwa remains unopened to traffic, defeating the very purpose of the acquisition.
The absence of coordination between the PMC and the traffic police has made matters worse. Despite the completion of physical roadwork, the route remains barricaded, with no efforts visible to formally open it or regulate traffic in the area. As a result, motorists continue to suffer daily congestion at the junction.
On Sunday night (July 13), the traffic situation worsened between 9 PM and midnight. After 9 PM, traffic police vacated the junction, and undisciplined drivers began cutting lanes and blocking intersections, leading to a complete standstill. Even pedestrians found it difficult to walk through the area. Only after complaints were lodged with the traffic department did officers return to the spot, but by then it was midnight before the situation was brought under control.
Compounding the problem is the slow progress of the flyover construction at the junction. The existing roads have deteriorated due to neglect by both the civic body and the flyover contractor, further slowing traffic movement and causing bottlenecks.
Citizens and commuters have been left frustrated, as both infrastructure delays and poor traffic management continue to create daily chaos at one of Pune's busiest junctions.