Illegal parking, vendors make Sinhagad Road out of bounds

It is one of the fastest growing suburbs of the city, dotted by educational institutions and connected to the Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass. But every evening, the Sinhagad Road area between Dandekar bridge and Khadakwasla undergoes a different kind of transformation. In rush hours, the area near the bridge is packed with traffic. And after 5pm, it […]

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During rush hours, the area near the bridge gets congested and after 5 pm, it turns into a fish and vegetable market, packed with vendors and shoppers. Arul Horizon

It is one of the fastest growing suburbs of the city, dotted by educational institutions and connected to the Mumbai-Bengaluru bypass. But every evening, the Sinhagad Road area between Dandekar bridge and Khadakwasla undergoes a different kind of transformation.

In rush hours, the area near the bridge is packed with traffic. And after 5pm, it turns into a fish and vegetable market, packed with vendors and shoppers. On the other side, there are encroachments by cafes and shops. On top of all that, the absence of designated parking has turned the footpath into a parking spot — not just for vehicles but for shops, too. In effect, nearly a kilometre of pavement has simply vanished.

Residents say work on a flyover by the Pune Municipal Corporation has reduced the width of the road. “But this has hardly impacted the vendors, who have simply taken up more space,” said Suresh Patil, a local resident.

“There are auto drivers who clog the road on both sides. There needs to be a fixed stand. That apart, there are also autos and private vehicles owned by local residents that are parked there,” said Vinod Dama, a resident.

“The encroachment on footpaths makes it difficult to find a way to the lane where our school is situated. There are a lot of problems during the opening and closing of school every day,” said Soham Dedge, a student of Jog School, one of the several institutions in the area.

The choke-points are many. For instance, at Goyal Ganga junction, the footpaths are occupied by roadside eateries . Several cafes have also spilled over.

“During rush hours, it becomes difficult for pedestrians and vehicle-drivers,” said Dama, the resident.

Deepa Pardeshi, who runs an electrical wares shop in Manikbaug, said her “business has been adversely impacted due to the traffic congestion”.

“The flyover work has added more problems…If pedestrians don’t have space to walk, how will they enter my shop?” she asked.

The vendors, however, pointed fingers at others. “We have licenses from the PMC and renew them yearly. We are also in talks with the administration for allotment of land. We are not the same as those who sell illegally from autos,” said Shanti Maushi, a vegetable vendor.

PMC Assistant Municipal Commissioner Pradeep Awhad, who is in charge of the area, said the civic administration has been working hard to remove encroachments from pavements.