PMC dismantles 300-metre BRTS stretch on Ahmednagar Road
Following request from Pune traffic police, PMC has dismantled a 300-metre stretch of BRTS on Ahmednagar Road from Viman Nagar Chowk to Somnath Nagar
PUNE: Following a request from the Pune traffic police, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has dismantled a 300-metre stretch of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on Nagar Road from Viman Nagar Chowk to Somnath Nagar to ease persistent traffic congestion in the area.
Sharad Dharav, executive engineer, PMC road department, said, “Following the request from the traffic police, we removed the BRTS stretch. The work began on Tuesday night and we have also started removing the BRTS bus stops on the Yerawada to Somnath Nagar stretch.”
Amol Zende, deputy police commissioner (traffic division), said, “Due to heavy traffic congestion on the stretch between Phoenix Mall (Viman Nagar Chowk) and Somnath Nagar, the PMC dismantled the BRTS route. This action will help resolve traffic issues in the area.”
The first phase of the BRTS from Yerawada to Viman Nagar Chowk, completed in 2016, was intended to improve the flow of traffic. Owing to the Pune Metro construction work, this BRTS stretch was not operational between 2020 and 2023 and became somewhat of a traffic hurdle. In December 2023, bowing to public and political pressure, the PMC removed the 3.5-kilometre BRTS stretch between Yerawada and Viman Nagar Chowk to resolve traffic issues. However, demands persisted for the dismantling of the remaining stretch between Viman Nagar Chowk and Kharadi for further relief from traffic jams.
In August 2023, Sunil Tingre of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), representing the Wadgaon Sheri constituency, urged civic- and police- officials to dismantle this stretch and eliminate the signal between Viman Nagar and Somnath Nagar to establish a circular traffic flow at Viman Nagar Chowk.
Additionally, citizens and local traffic committees from the Wagholi-Pune-Nagar highway area, including Dargah and Viman Nagar, demanded that the said BRTS stretch be removed. Around 5,000 citizens signed a petition supporting the dismantling of this stretch, reasoning that having a part of the BRTS was causing more harm than good (traffic disruptions and accidents). Member of a local traffic committee, Hemant Barte, warned that if no action was taken to dismantle the said BRTS stretch, citizens would intensify protests and take matters into their own hands.
Finally, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Rohidas Pawar advised the PMC to remove the BRTS section from Viman Nagar Chowk to Somnath Nagar over traffic and safety concerns. Acting on this recommendation, the PMC dismantled the 300-metre stretch on Tuesday night.
Reacting to the move, Kunda Shinde, a resident of Kharadi, said, “Those pushing for the removal of the BRTS do not use the buses themselves. They should consider the thousands who rely on the BRTS every day. Removing it will cause further delays and traffic issues for those who use public transport.”