Chakan Residents Demand Immediate Traffic Solutions After Protests
Pune: Nearly a month after the Traffic Free Chakan Kriti Samiti organized a protest march to the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) office, residents are expressing frustration over the lack of visible improvement in road conditions and traffic management in the Chakan industrial area.
"Our protest march to the PMRDA office in Akurdi on October 9 was to highlight the traffic chaos. We also submitted a memorandum, but there has been no concrete action yet," Samiti member Kunal Kad said on Saturday. He added that the group plans to take a follow-up action next week.
Kad further noted that while the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has initiated minor repair works, other agencies seem to be inactive. "Poor road infrastructure, a lack of parking facilities, and the absence of coordination between PMRDA, the Public Works Department (PWD), and the local civic body continue to worsen congestion," he explained.
The PMRDA was appointed as the coordinating agency, but it has yet to bring all stakeholders together, Kad said, attributing the neglect to a lack of political will. Chakan and its adjoining industrial belt are among Maharashtra's top tax-contributing regions but lag behind cities like Nagpur by nearly a decade in infrastructure development. "Lives are at stake. During emergencies, doctors refuse to come because of traffic jams," Kad emphasized.
Local residents have described commuting through Chakan as unbearable, with gridlocks lasting hours during peak morning and evening traffic. Continuous rain through October has further damaged roads. "There isn't a single day I'm not stuck for over an hour on Talegaon-Shikrapur Road," said a Thergaon resident employed in the Chakan MIDC area.
Another commuter called the stretch a "death trap" due to potholes and frequent accidents. Kad mentioned that while several road projects have been proposed, deadlines are repeatedly missed. Ambethan Chowk, the junction linking Talegaon-Shikrapur Road and the Pune-Nashik stretch of National Highway 60, remains the worst bottleneck.
A senior PMRDA official stated that the authority has written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the PWD to expedite pending works, but the proposals are still awaiting clearance.
The Federation of Chakan Industries has also sought intervention from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to expedite the tender process for the proposed Rs 7,827-crore Nashik Phata-Rajgurunagar elevated road on the Pune-Nashik stretch of National Highway 60. In a letter sent on Saturday, federation CEO Dilip Batwal highlighted that traffic congestion has severely affected industrial operations in the Chakan belt.
Although the Union cabinet cleared the project in December 2023, tender opening has been delayed due to land acquisition issues. The Maharashtra government allocated funds for acquisition in May 2025 and promised completion by October. The tender was re-floated in August and has been postponed three times since then. It is now set for opening on November 23.
Industries have sought Gadkari's personal intervention to appoint a developer and start work urgently.
