Dhayari residents say Sinhagad Road flyover has not eased jams, demand firm timelines from PMC

Residents of Dhayari are fed up with the constant traffic jams on Sinhagad Road and in surrounding areas. They say the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the traffic police have failed to solve the problem. According to residents, announcements were made repeatedly, meetings were held and assurances were given, but none of it has shown on the road.

Incomplete roads, delayed bridges, encroachments and unplanned digging are hitting people who commute daily. The Clean and Beautiful Dhayari Action Committee has questioned several measures announced by the civic administration and has asked the officials concerned for clear timelines and accountability.

The committee says people are losing valuable time and wasting petrol and diesel every day. School and college students, office-goers, patients, senior citizens and local shopkeepers are all badly affected. Committee coordinator Vineet Dharankar said, "People have heard assurances from the administration again and again, but the condition of the roads is mostly the same. Meetings are held and dates are announced when public anger grows, but very little work is visible on the ground."

He said citizens do not want promises. They want the administration to fulfil its earlier promises and give relief from this daily traffic. One major current complaint is the jam caused by digging taken up without prior notice. The committee alleges that when digging began during peak hours, people were stuck for two to three hours. This raises questions about advance planning, traffic management and coordination between the PMC and the traffic police.

Additional Commissioner of Police (West Region and Traffic) Manoj Patil said, "We will soon conduct a traffic survey in the Dhayari, Narhe, Wadgaon, Nanded City and Dandekar Bridge area."

Residents describe the flyover as "ineffective". Even after the new flyover on Sinhagad Road opened, jams continue on it and on the roads below. Roadside handcarts, wrongly parked vehicles, encroachments and narrow roads make matters worse.

The committee has also sought details of the comprehensive traffic survey that Mayor Manjusha Nagpure reportedly ordered on August 5 for the Dhayari, Narhe, Wadgaon, Nanded City and Dandekar Bridge area. It wants the report, recommendations and action taken to be made public.

Another major concern is the incomplete approach road of the Sun City-Karvenagar bridge, which is meant to be an alternative to the congested Rajaram Bridge. The committee has asked for a firm date for the entire route to open. It has also asked for a time-bound programme to widen Rajaram Bridge from about 18 metres to 30 metres.

Jayshree Deshpande, a Dhayari resident, said, "Traffic jams have now become part of our daily life. Whether it is going to work, taking children to school or an emergency, people have to allow for long delays. Stalled DP roads, encroachments and poor traffic management are making things worse. The administration should stop giving assurances and offer solutions that people can see and feel."

The committee has also specifically raised the issue of the DP road. PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram reportedly assured in August that work on the proposed DP road between Savitri Garden and the Lokmat office would be completed in six months. The committee has sought a written progress report on land acquisition, funding, approvals and the bridges to be built over the canal.

The committee has also demanded transparency in ward-level inspection reports and action against wrong parking and encroachments. It has asked the PMC and the traffic police to implement a coordinated, time-bound plan for the stretch from Dhayari Phata to Dhayari village, including major junctions such as Benkar Vasti, Pari Company Chowk and Ladli Chowk. According to the committee, peaceful agitation and memorandums have also not brought enough relief, so immediate action, rather than more announcements, is needed.