Pune: PMC Begins Cement-Concrete Road Work at Katraj Chowk to Ease Decades-Long Traffic Congestion

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated cement-concrete road construction at Katraj Chowk, a move expected to alleviate severe traffic congestion in the area. The project, which began at Gugale Plot, is set to be completed within a month and will directly connect to the Katraj-Kondhwa Road, addressing a long-standing bottleneck.

PMC deputy engineer Dilip Pandkar confirmed the start of the work, stating, “The patch of road will be completed within a month. It will directly connect to Katraj-Kondhwa Road and help remove the long-standing bottleneck at Katraj Chowk.” The land acquisition process, finalized on Tuesday, was overseen by municipal commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale and additional municipal commissioner Prithviraj B P. Key officials, including deputy commissioner Pratibha Patil, deputy engineer Dingbar Bangar, and branch engineer Rupali Dhage, played pivotal roles in the process. Special land acquisition officers Harshad Ghule and Ajinkya Patil also contributed significantly.

Katraj Chowk has faced persistent traffic issues for decades, even after the construction of the Katraj-Kondhwa flyover near Katraj Zoo. The recent acquisition of a 60-metre development plan (DP) road-bound property at survey number 1/2 B, which had been a major traffic bottleneck for 28 years, marks a crucial step in resolving the congestion. The PMC paid ₹21.57 crore in compensation for approximately 40 gunthas of land.

The land acquisition process was delayed due to legal disputes with landowner Sanjay Gugale, who initially declined the PMC’s offer of transfer of development rights (TDR) as compensation and filed a writ petition against the civic body. In 2005, the court ruled that the PMC could not use the land without legally acquiring it. In 2017, the PMC revised its DP, changing the land reservation from a ‘park’ to a 60-metre road.

To further address traffic issues, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed a six-lane flyover measuring 1,326 metres in length and 24.20 metres in width. This flyover will connect the Pune-Mumbai Bypass with the Kondhwa-Katraj Road, offering a long-term solution to the area’s traffic woes.