32 roads & 22 junctions in Pune marked for urgent decongestion.
One-month drive to remove encroachments, fix potholes, and resize footpaths.
Cycle tracks to be narrowed or merged with main roads to free space.
Pune, 25 September 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has launched a coordinated drive with the city’s Traffic Police to tackle growing traffic congestion on 32 major roads and 22 busy junctions. After collecting detailed reports from multiple civic departments, a high-level meeting on Tuesday outlined a month-long action plan to clear key bottlenecks and improve road capacity.
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram had directed all relevant departments to identify problem spots and submit a report. The findings pointed to a range of issues, including illegal encroachments, oversized footpaths and cycle tracks, potholes, uneven patchwork, and obstructions from roadside stalls, handcarts, and electric installations. Despite periodic crackdowns, many encroachments reappear, worsening traffic delays.
Traffic congestion in Pune has become a daily struggle for citizens and VIPs alike. According to TomTom’s global traffic index, Pune ranks fourth in the world for congestion, with a 10-kilometre trip taking an average of 33 minutes. Officials warned that unchecked delays are affecting the city’s quality of life and productivity.
At the meeting, PMC and Traffic Police officials agreed to work jointly with agencies like MSEDCL and BSNL to remove physical barriers such as power boxes, poles, and illegal structures. “Work that can be done quickly, like pothole repairs, encroachment removal, and resizing footpaths, will be completed within a month,” said road department head Aniruddha Pavaskar. Longer-term changes, such as narrowing pedestrian and cycle tracks or repurposing them with shared lanes, will take additional time.
The civic body also plans to replace standalone cycle lanes with painted strips on main roads, allowing shared use by bicycles and other vehicles to reduce space pressure. Authorities believe these steps will free up critical road width, easing congestion and improving traffic flow across the city.
