Obstructions removed at Panvel's Jay Bharat Naka, easing traffic jams after commissioner's action

Commuters at Panvel's Jay Bharat Naka have got relief from heavy traffic jams. Panvel Municipal Corporation Commissioner Mangesh Chitale took a firm line and had construction obstructing the road removed. People in the Jay Bharat Naka area say they can now breathe easier.

The name of the junction reflects patriotic sentiment. During the freedom movement and after Independence, many squares and junctions across the country were named in this spirit, and the name 'Jai Bharat' is a mark of that national feeling. During the freedom struggle, the spot was the main venue for meetings and agitations by local activists. But as Panvel city expanded, the jams at Jay Bharat Naka grew severe.

The cause of the congestion is plain. A large number of people travel to and from Panvel, and a sizeable population also lives within the city. The roads are therefore crowded, and there is no shortage of vehicles. Most important, most housing societies in Panvel have no parking at all. Residents of the buildings park their vehicles on the road, which has a major effect on congestion. It is for this reason that Commissioner Chitale has taken up a drive to widen roads.

Around Jay Bharat Naka are the old market, the cloth market (Kapad Bazaar) and important temples. This central hub of old Panvel has always been a centre for festivals, political meetings and social movements.

The corporation has kept most of the city's roads at 20 to 30 feet. These include Line Ali, Zaveri Bazaar, V. K. High School Road, Mahatma Phule Road and Tilak Road. Since the civic body was constituted as a municipal corporation, these roads have proved inadequate and the need to widen them is being felt. Some lanes in the market are even today not 15 to 20 feet wide. Kapad Lane and Mirchi Lane are among them.

To widen this road, Panvel Municipal Corporation had offered property owners here an increased floor space index (FSI). But a dispute arose between owners and tenants because of the tenants' unreasonable demands, and the proposal remained stuck. Meanwhile, the jam at Tapal Naka was growing by the day, so widening the road here was essential.

A few months ago, the corporation carried out a large demolition drive with JCB machines against six shops that were obstructing the work. The anti-encroachment department also brought down a dangerous, 80 to 90-year-old single-storey wooden building here with a JCB. These actions have helped the civic administration break the jam at Tapal Naka.