Pune Divisional Commissioner Mandates 10-Year Traffic Management Plan and Major Junction Upgrades
Divisional Commissioner Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar has issued a directive for the creation of a comprehensive 10-year traffic management plan for Pune, emphasizing the urgent need to reduce congestion in the city. During a high-level review meeting on Friday, he instructed local authorities to prioritize the improvement of 90 major junctions and develop a long-term strategy to streamline urban mobility.
Coordinated Planning for Decade-Long Traffic Solutions
Dr Pulkundwar stressed that all departments, including civic, police, and infrastructure agencies, must align their traffic regulations and management efforts with detailed micro-level requirements projected over the next ten years. "A coordinated implementation is essential. Planning by agencies must align with long-term projections and ground realities," he asserted, highlighting the necessity for a unified approach to tackle Pune's growing traffic challenges.
The meeting, attended by key officials such as Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjankumar Sharma, PCMC Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryavanshi, PMRDA Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhari, and others, focused on creating a priority list of missing links on major roads. This list will address critical issues including bottleneck removal, road widening, footpath enhancements, and complete corridor-level improvements supported by necessary infrastructure.
Key Initiatives and Infrastructure Enhancements Discussed
Several actionable points were discussed to bolster Pune's traffic management framework:
- Road-widening proposals at 90 major junctions to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.
- Allocation of public utility spaces for hawkers, with MahaMetro Managing Director Shravan Hardikar emphasizing the need to demarcate hawker zones and develop a time-bound action plan to avoid overlaps.
- Installation of streetlights and creation of space for unclaimed vehicles to enhance safety and organization.
- Implementation of technology-based traffic plans, clearance of pending e-challans, appointment of traffic consultants, and an increase in traffic police manpower.
Officials noted that these measures are expected to significantly improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and strengthen the city's urban mobility infrastructure, making Pune more livable and efficient.
Water Supply and Contamination Issues Addressed
In a separate but related development, Dr Pulkundwar also directed local authorities to ensure adequate water allocation to housing societies and take strict action against tanker owners supplying contaminated water. This directive was issued in compliance with a Bombay High Court order from a 2023 Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
The meeting addressed water supply concerns raised by housing federation representatives, with instructions for PMC, PCMC, and PMRDA to conduct regular reviews, provide tankers where needed, and strictly enforce the Maharashtra Groundwater Act. Authorities were also directed to make borewell permissions mandatory and upload water supply guarantee certificates on their portals.
PMRDA Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhari announced plans for local-level water testing and addressing complaints related to building permissions and occupancy. Strict attendance measures were enforced, as several local authorities' representatives had been absent in a previous meeting, underscoring the seriousness of these issues.
These coordinated efforts in traffic management and water supply reflect a broader push by Pune's administrative bodies to address critical urban challenges through structured, long-term planning and strict regulatory compliance.
