Pune, 9th December 2025: Ahead of the prestigious Pune Grand Challenge Tour 2026, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has launched a major anti-encroachment drive along the city’s designated cycling route. The operation was carried out on December 8 on the stretch from Maitra Mandal Chowk to Mukundnagar and Seven Loves Chowk.
The action was led by the Building Permission and Development Department (Zone 5) with police support. A total of 32 notices were issued before the drive, following which PMC teams removed around 24,400 square feet of unauthorised structures.
These included temporary sheds, front-margin extensions and raw constructions that had encroached on footpaths and cycle tracks.
Civic officials said that heavy encroachments along the front margins had created obstacles for cyclists and posed serious safety risks. The Mukundnagar stretch, being an important connector on the 55-kilometre race route, was taken up in the first phase to ensure smooth movement during the international event.
Superintendent Engineer Rajesh Bankar said the department is clearing both front and side-margin encroachments along the route. He added that the drive has started and will continue until the event concludes to ensure the roads remain obstruction-free.
The Pune Grand Challenge Tour is scheduled from January 19 to 23, 2026, and is expected to attract national and international cyclists. As per Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) norms, all roads on the route must meet strict surface and safety standards.
Accordingly, PMC, PCMC and PMRDA have jointly begun work to upgrade road quality and remove illegal structures across the entire cycling corridor.
PMC has confirmed that similar encroachment removal drives will be carried out on other parts of the Grand Tour route in the coming weeks to ensure Pune is fully prepared to host the global event.
