Auhona Roy Chowdhury, Pune
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun constructing a 200 m alternate route between the airport and Vimannagar. This is a response to daily reports of traffic congestion on the stretch. A memorandum was signed with the Indian Air Force station last month, where 2,350 square feet of defense land have been allotted to the PMC for this project.
The proposed route runs from survey number 225 in Vimannagar, close to Symbiosis College, to the airport’s exit gate. According to PMC’s assistant commissioner, Avinash Dhakne, the project will cost Rs 2 crore, and the city intends to finish it in the following three months. A team from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and PMC road department surveyed the land on Friday.
Sanjay Dharav, the executive engineer of PMC, reported to TOI, “We have made a demarcation on the proposed road. As per the plan, we will first build a protective wall on both sides of the road for the security of the IAF campus. Then, we will start constructing the thoroughfare”.
“The stretch will have four proper lanes and an adequate carriageway for vehicles. The new stretch will help to mitigate traffic congestion on the existing road going towards the airport”, Dharav continued.
The PMC was given permission by the Ministry of Defense to begin construction linking the proposed road to Vimannagar on its 0.58 acre of land on September 19, 2022. According to civic officials, authorization was given for a small annual license charge of Rs 1 per square meter, or Rs 2,350 per year.
Frustrated by daily traffic hassles on the present route, people and activists in Vimannagar demanded that the city officials finish the road work earlier than the allotted time.