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Frustrated by the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) inaction regarding a bridge over the Mula River, residents of Baner, Balewadi, Wakad, and Kaspate Vasti have turned to the Bombay High Court to resolve the issue. The lack of a road connecting these neighborhoods has compelled residents to take a longer route via the congested Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway to reach Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations. In 2013, PMC and PCMC approved the construction of a bridge to address this problem. Although the bridge was completed in the 2018-19 fiscal year at a cost exceeding ?31 crore, it remains closed to the public.
Abhijit Garad, a Wakad resident, and Sandip Mandloi of Balewadi have attempted to persuade authorities to open the bridge without success. The area around the bridge, unused due to its closure, has become a hotspot for miscreants, garbage dumping, and unauthorized truck and tanker parking.
As a result, residents have taken legal action, filing a PIL in the Bombay High Court against PMC, PCMC, the district collector, town planning authority, and the urban development department. Their PIL seeks a court directive to open the Wakad-Balewadi Bridge for public use.
The bridge's closure has inconvenienced thousands of residents, who are forced to take lengthy detours to reach their workplaces or homes. This issue is especially prominent for those living in Wakad, Kaspate Wasti, and Pimple Saudagar.
Additionally, the lack of a road connecting Baner and Balewadi has led to daily traffic problems, with vehicles often delayed for 30-40 minutes at congested intersections like Radha Chowk, Mamta Chowk, and Dasra Chowk. The link road between Balewadi and Wakad has been in development for over a decade. Despite the completion of the bridge in Wakad, the remaining portion of the road remains incomplete.
Advocate Satya Muley, representing the petitioners, pointed out a significant flaw in PMC's planning. The construction of the bridge proceeded without acquiring the necessary land, revealing a critical oversight in the project. Muley challenged authorities and politicians to demonstrate progress in land acquisition within the next few months and file an affidavit supporting their claims in the Bombay High Court.
According to sources, the bridge, spanning approximately 200 meters in length and 30 meters in width, received equal funding from both PMC and PCMC. PCMC has already completed its approach road, but PMC faces challenges in acquiring land for its portion, which connects to Balewadi. Approximately 90% of the required land has been acquired, and PMC plans to develop the approach road using funds from the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL). The completion of these roadworks is estimated to take three to four months before the bridge can be opened to the public.
In summary, the residents of Baner, Balewadi, Wakad, and Kaspate Vasti in Pune have resorted to legal action to open a bridge that connects their neighbourhoods and spans the Mula River. Despite its completion in the 2018-19 fiscal year, the bridge remains closed, causing significant inconvenience to residents and leading to various issues in the unused vicinity. Land acquisition challenges have hindered the opening of the bridge, prompting residents to file a PIL in the Bombay High Court, seeking its prompt public use.
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