Encroachment Adds To Woes Of Commuters
Unregulated traffic on roads and chaos on footpaths have made travelling through Shivajinagar a commuter’s nighmare.
With two bus termini –Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) – and railway station in the vicinity, thousands of commuters travel through the area every day.
Encroachments along narrow roads and footpaths occupied by food carts, illegally-parked vehicles, vendors selling different types of wares and private bus operators have added to the woes of commuters. The situation is likely to turn for the worse due to very little presence of civic staff and police to keep a check on illegal activities, commuters said.
Located next to the famous Simla office chowk, Shivajinagar is among the busiest junctions in the city after Swargate and Pune Railway Station. Local residents said that the traffic situation in the area has deteriorated owing to a significant rise in the number of vehicles in the last few years. What has made matters worse is that the existing road infrastructure has not been able handle the rise in traffic.
Ajay Bhosale, a resident of Tanajiwadi, an area located ahead of MSRTC bus terminus, said that local people are fed up with the situation. “Every day, we remain stuck in traffic chaos. The roads are not wide enough to handle bus operation. It was ok a few years ago when daily operation of buses by PMPML and MSRTC was minimum. Now, the frequency has gone up many folds. At least 5 buses travel through the junction almost every minute. Buses cannot take a turn because of narrow roads,” he said. MSRTC officials admitted that the situation was bad but claimed helplessness in dealing with traffic management. “We are re-routing buses during rush hours from Shimla office chowk via Agriculture College to the bus terminus to avoid traffic jams. But bus operations cannot be decentralised or shifted to any other place because this is the only terminus operated by MSRTC in the area”, officials said. The road from MSRTC bus terminus to the railway station and PMPML bus stop has maximum encroachments which leave very little space for vehicles.
Sanjay Kanchi, who often takes a train to Lonavla from Shivajinagar, said that he finds it difficult to reach the railway station on his bike because of bottlenecks on the way. “The traffic from Shimla office chowk to Shivajinagar junction has become chaotic. There should be proper bays for public transport and private vehicles to avoid snarls,” he said.
He said that the commercial establishments like hotels and shops along the road also contribute to the chaos.
Source : TOI
