Encroachments on footpaths and haphazard parking of auto rickshaws at the Keshavrao Jedhe junction at Swargate are two of the major causes for traffic chaos at this busy chowk. The junction is a hub where thousands of people arrive every hour to avail some means of transport to reach their destinations – either across the state, or to any place in the city and fringe areas. Heavy vehicular movement continues throughout the day from the roads crisscrossing each other at the junction.
A large number of auto rickshaws arrive at the junction to drop passengers to the state transport bus terminal. The same auto rickshaws ferry passengers from the junction to various areas of the city. Invariably, their haphazard parking results in chaos. At all other places, auto rickshaws are parked in violation of no-parking rules. Traffic officials say that there should be provision for auto rickshaw stands so that they can wait in a queue.
On the Satara road stretch towards Katraj, one can find auto rickshaws parked in clusters. There is only just one authorized auto rickshaw stand near the entrance gate of the MSRTC bus terminal. The same is the situation on the Katraj-Swargate road stretch where auto rickshaws are parked in clusters at two to three places. On the road stretch from Jedhe chowk towards Sarasbaug, a large number of auto rickshaws (mostly carrying six passengers going towards Dhayari on Sinhagad Road), occupy a sizeable portion of the road. There is also an absence of an authorized auto rickshaw stand for people going towards Shankarsheth Road. Some private vehicles ferrying passengers are also seen stopping on the Shankarsheth Road stretch in violation of the no-parking rules.
Although there is a queue system at the junction, many auto rickshaws break the norm and come on to the road to get passengers. Deputy Commissioner of police (traffic) Vishwas Pandhre agrees that there is a need for proper auto rickshaw stands and streamlining the parking of auto rickshaws. Traffic experts say that parking space can also be provided within the state transport terminal premises. PMC’s additional city engineer Sriniwas Bonala says provision for auto rickshaw stands has been made, but there is no traffic enforcement. The traffic problems at the junction can be solved only if there is proper traffic enforcement and streamlining of auto rickshaw parking.
Traffic officials have also pointed out that the encroachments on footpaths need to be removed. PMC officials, however, claims that the junction has a fixed anti-encroachment squad and that action are taken continuously. Prashant Inamdar of Pedestrians First, who has studied the traffic problems at Jedhe chowk in detail and even implemented some measures with the help of traffic police, says the footpaths need to be free from encroachments. Railings can be put up along the footpaths only if they are free from encroachments.
