PUNE: The Pune Sub Area, which is the local military authority, will examine the demand for reopening of the road between Ghorpadi and Koregaon Park for civilians following a directive from the Union minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre.
Bhamre, along with senior army officers and local representatives of political parties, had inspected the site three days ago. In 2010, the Southern Command headquaters had closed the road following the German Bakery bomb blast which claimed 17 lives and injured at least 60 people.
Local residents as well as politicians had then staged a protest against the decision but the road has remained closed. They have pointed out that the closure of the road affected their lives as they have to travel an additional 7km to 8km distance to get access to other parts of the city.
A senior army officer told TOI on Tuesday, "There are important defence establishments located on this stretch and security of these establishments is important for us. We will have detailed deliberation with the heads of these establishments before making any final decision on the matter."
According to army sources, reopening of the road will affect their functioning. "The road is narrow and it will be difficult to accommodate daily traffic flow smoothly," another senior army officer said. "The reopening will restrict the army's free movement," he added.
Another army officer said that considering the current security the army's stance should not be questioned. "Before closing any road, we study all possible security threats to the concerned army establishments. In this case, Koregaon Park is not too far from these establishments where the bomb blast took place. If we open the road, then, it would be impossible for us to keep tab of all the vehicles plying on this stretch. It will pose a security threat to these establishments," the officer explained.
Former Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) member Shrikant Mantri, who was present during the inspection by Bhamre, told TOI, "Currently, people have to travel via Mundhwa to reach Koregaon Park Road or Kalyaninagar. This is inconvenient and adds to the travel distance. We were using Ghorpadi-Koregaon Park road for many years and there was not a single case where a commuter troubled the army authorities. If they maintain proper security checks, there will not be a big issue."
Bhamre, along with senior army officers and local representatives of political parties, had inspected the site three days ago. In 2010, the Southern Command headquaters had closed the road following the German Bakery bomb blast which claimed 17 lives and injured at least 60 people.
Local residents as well as politicians had then staged a protest against the decision but the road has remained closed. They have pointed out that the closure of the road affected their lives as they have to travel an additional 7km to 8km distance to get access to other parts of the city.
A senior army officer told TOI on Tuesday, "There are important defence establishments located on this stretch and security of these establishments is important for us. We will have detailed deliberation with the heads of these establishments before making any final decision on the matter."
According to army sources, reopening of the road will affect their functioning. "The road is narrow and it will be difficult to accommodate daily traffic flow smoothly," another senior army officer said. "The reopening will restrict the army's free movement," he added.
Another army officer said that considering the current security the army's stance should not be questioned. "Before closing any road, we study all possible security threats to the concerned army establishments. In this case, Koregaon Park is not too far from these establishments where the bomb blast took place. If we open the road, then, it would be impossible for us to keep tab of all the vehicles plying on this stretch. It will pose a security threat to these establishments," the officer explained.
Former Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) member Shrikant Mantri, who was present during the inspection by Bhamre, told TOI, "Currently, people have to travel via Mundhwa to reach Koregaon Park Road or Kalyaninagar. This is inconvenient and adds to the travel distance. We were using Ghorpadi-Koregaon Park road for many years and there was not a single case where a commuter troubled the army authorities. If they maintain proper security checks, there will not be a big issue."
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