Pune draft DP proposes narrowing 50 roads in eight merged areas; Undri highway cut to 45 m

The revised draft Development Plan (DP) for Pune proposes changing the width of 50 roads in eight areas that were merged into the municipal corporation. Several of the roads will become narrower than the widths fixed earlier.

Under the proposal, roads 36 metres wide will be reduced to 24 metres. Some 12-metre roads may be left at just nine metres. The state highway passing through Undri is also proposed to be cut from 60 metres to 45 metres.

The DP for the nine villages merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2017 has now reached the final stage of approval, nearly nine years after the villages were included. A committee appointed by the state government invited objections and suggestions from citizens on the draft plan, held hearings and then submitted its report to the government. The revised proposal is now awaiting final approval.

According to a notification published in the Maharashtra Government Gazette under Section 28(4), the revised draft DP proposes changing road widths in Lohegaon, Mundhwa, Hadapsar, Undri, Ambegaon Budruk, Ambegaon Khurd, Dhayari and Shivane-Uttamnagar.

The details of the changes are as follows. Four roads of 36 metres will become 24 metres. Two roads of 30 metres will shrink to 24 or 15 metres. Twenty roads of 24 metres will be reduced to 18, 15 or 12 metres. Fifteen roads of 18 metres will become 15 or 12 metres. Four roads of 15 metres will be cut to 12 metres, and five roads of 12 metres to nine metres.

Area-wise, Lohegaon has the most, with 12 roads. Shivane-Uttamnagar has nine. Seven roads in Mundhwa, including in Keshav Nagar, are covered. Five roads in the Sadesatraanali area of Hadapsar are proposed to be narrowed. Six roads in Undri, four in Ambegaon Budruk and one in Ambegaon Khurd are part of the revision. Six roads in Dhayari are also part of the proposal.

Officials have given several reasons for the changes. These include provisions of the regional plan, existing buildings, sanctioned layouts, the status of land acquisition, and the limits of natural streams and canals. Land left outside the old road alignment will be added to the surrounding residential zones, reserved plots or other applicable land categories.

Questions remain, however. These areas are urbanising rapidly, so it was expected that the DP would provide for wider roads and alternative connecting routes. Many internal roads already have unauthorised construction, which leaves little room for further widening. The proposed cuts could reduce the chances of expanding the road network even further.

Many of the merged villages are gradually turning into densely populated residential and commercial areas. Construction is rising and more vehicles are coming into these neighbourhoods. Adequate roads will be needed to handle the incoming traffic. For this reason, the proposal to reduce widths has become a concern for local residents and other stakeholders.

The revised DP is currently awaiting final approval from the state government. People in the affected areas, especially those worried about road connectivity, infrastructure and growing traffic, will be watching its final provisions.