Kondhwa Residents Stranded As School Vans, Ambulances And Tankers Struggle On Dug-up Roads

Citizens and commuters are grappling with mounting frustrations as roads are being dug up to fit drainage pipelines and accommodate other construction projects near PGKM School, a stretch of road connected to Katraj-Kondhwa Highway and Upper Bibwewadi, with anticipated completion dates.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, local residents highlighted the dire consequences of prolonged construction, including water shortages, traffic gridlock, and restricted access for essential services like ambulances and school vans.

Despite repeated appeals to authorities, they claimed that no progress has been made, leaving residents exasperated and calling for swift action to alleviate their plight.

Residents speak up

Ganesh Dhade, a resident of Kondhwa, speaking to The Free Press Journal said, “Several adjacent roads linked to Katraj-Kondhwa Highway have been under construction for the last month. Authorities have not provided alternative routes for commuters to travel. It’s supposed to be a work of minimum 10 days, but it has been more than one month since the digging began.”

Raju Kadam, a resident of Gangadham Chowk, said, “We have no water to drink or bathe as the road is totally blocked, and water tankers cannot enter. School vans cannot enter due to concrete, drainage pipes, and other materials spread on the road. Why don’t authorities set a particular deadline to finish the work? Strong actions need to be taken against the contractor.”

Atul Jain, a resident of Kondhwa, expressed, “We face the same traffic issue regularly. There is a very bad traffic situation at Kakde Vasti Chowk near PGKM High School. We have complained multiple times to responsible authorities such as Pune Municipal Corporation and the traffic police department, but unfortunately, no required steps have been taken. It’s ridiculous to suffer on the road; ambulances, school vans, and fire vehicles cannot enter adjacent areas due to the terrible bottleneck traffic situation.”

Assistant Police Inspector Somnath Pawar, from Kondhwa jurisdiction, said, “We have registered an online complaint with Pune Municipal Corporation to complete the work as soon as possible on the particular stretch from Pashalkar Chowk to Gangadham Chowk. Traffic going to Market Yard has been diverted from Kakade Vasti. Due to heavy vehicles and bottleneck at Hanuman Chowk, the traffic flow is completely disrupted. However, police have been deployed to monitor the traffic. We have also urged PMC to complete the work as soon as possible.”