Pune Municipal Corporation Struggles To Connect 390 Missing Road Links
Pune, 4th April 2023: Connecting 390 missing links of DP roads that are 18 meters or above in width is proving to be a struggle for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). If below 18-meter roads are also considered, the number of missing links is likely to increase.
The missing links are in various areas, including Baner-Balewadi, Bavdhan Kothrud, Dhankwadi-Ambegaon-Katraj, Dhanori-Kalas, Hingane Khurd-Wadgaon Bhudruk-Dhayari, Kondhwa-Undri, Mohmadwadi-Hadapsar, Wadgaon Sheri-Kharadi, and Warje-Shivne.
The delays are due to land acquisition issues with various government bodies, such as the forest department, railways, and defense, as well as due to cash compensation demands by private landowners.The purpose of mapping the missing links was to assist authorities in prioritizing land acquisition, strategizing road network expansion, reducing traffic on major roads, and shortening distances.
According to PMC transport planner Nikhil Mijar, the detailed inventory of the missing links would create a basis for deciding priority links for phase-wise land acquisition, financial budgeting, and implementation structure.
The process encompassed examining development plans, cross-referencing them with satellite imagery, identifying absent links, compiling lists by area/village, and presenting them in a user-friendly map format. Connecting the missing link roads to the intermediate road plan could facilitate the decongestion of internal roads.
Mijar said that the ring road is approximately 75km, with about 25km of missing links and 50km of existing roads. Developing this ring road should be prioritized and then it can be linked to the external ring road that is being planned by the NHAI.
Pune District Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil has promised to provide funds from the state government to settle the cash compensation issue. “Funds will be provided to complete major roads such as the Katraj-Kondhwa bypass and Shivne-Kharadi DP road that have been stalled for years. The state will fund these roads in a 60-40 ratio, with PMC bearing 40 percent of the cost. The traffic situation in the city is worsening, and the missing links need to be connected”, Patil said.
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