Parking banned, encroachment to be removed in Pune’s Chakan industrial area

Pune's District Collector, Jitendra Dudi, recently announced a series of actions aimed at alleviating the persistent traffic congestion in Chakan industrial area. Among these measures are filling potholes by August 31, eliminating roadside encroachments within a month, offering complimentary parking spaces, closing gaps in dividers, and assigning 100 private personnel to aid traffic management.

Speaking alongside Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Chaube, Dudi emphasized that any contractors failing to comply with these directives would face legal consequences.

According to Dudi, inefficiencies in traffic flow were exacerbated by inadequate coordination among various government agencies operating in the area. He affirmed that all pertinent bodies, including MIDC, MSIDC, the National Highways Authority of India, PWD, PMRDA, the municipal council, and the zilla parishad, have been mandated to address potholes and repair road shoulders within their respective jurisdictions by August 31.

Any delay beyond this deadline would result in stringent legal actions targeting the responsible agencies, engineers, and contractors.

The collector highlighted that the congested flow of commuters from Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad to Chakan MIDC faced substantial delays due to potholes, damaged road shoulders, and unauthorized vehicle parking along roadways. Dudi explained that these factors often caused delays, with some commuters spending up to four hours in traffic—two hours in the morning and two in the evening.

One primary issue cited by Dudi was the indiscriminate parking of vehicles, particularly heavy-duty ones, along the streets. To tackle this, the MIDC has designated free parking spaces for such vehicles. Additionally, the police commissioner stated that from the following Friday, no vehicles will be permitted to park on the roads within Chakan MIDC.

Instead, vehicles must park exclusively in the designated spaces provided by the MIDC. Violations will face legal repercussions, including vehicle confiscation for first-time offenders, adopting a zero-tolerance policy on roadside parking.

To support traffic police, Dudi announced the deployment of 100 personnel from the Maharashtra Security Force. Recognizing the scale of Chakan, the Pimpri-Chinchwad police lacked sufficient manpower to manage the traffic efficiently. These personnel will operate in two shifts to handle the traffic in the Chakan MIDC area. Dudi further directed all government agencies to ensure the removal of encroachments along all roads within the Chakan MIDC area.