According to sources, Pawar wrapped up his tour of Beed district at 1 am before reaching reached Pune in the dead of night. Around 6 am, he was at Bharat Mata Chowk in Bhosari, inspecting the bottlenecks and questioning officials. He was accompanied by Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Pune District Collector, and other officials
Ajit Pawar speaks to officials during the inspection.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Ajit Pawar conducted an early morning inspection of Pune’s most persistent urban nightmares – the severe traffic congestion plaguing the industrial hubs of Bhosari and Chakan.
According to sources, Pawar wrapped up his tour of Beed district at 1 am before reaching reached Pune in the dead of night. Around 6 am, he was at Bharat Mata Chowk in Bhosari, inspecting the bottlenecks and questioning officials. He was accompanied by Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Pune District Collector, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioners and Zilla Parishad’s Chief Executive Officer – though noticeably absent were party workers from his own Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction.
On August 3, mid-day.com, in its 'Chakan commute to hell' story had published a detailed report on the bottleneck situation in Chakan after its reporter for stranded in traffic for nearly three hours.
The Pune–Nashik highway and key stretches such as Chakan–Talegaon and Chakan–Shikrapur choke with vehicles every day. With over one lakh heavy trucks and countless smaller vehicles passing through due to the massive industrial presence – from auto giants to small manufacturers – the chaos impacts workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, students, and even patients rushing to hospitals.
The ongoing situation has been ongoing for months, triggering protests by the Traffic-Free Chakan Action Committee, residents, doctors, and business owners, who have demanded immediate road expansions and alternative routes. The issue was even raised in the state assembly.
Following complaints by citizens, Pawar decided to witness the problem first-hand. At Talegaon Chowk, he assessed the traffic situation and directed officials to prepare concrete solutions to resolve it. He was surprised to learn that the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police had blocked several lanes to manage his visit – ironically worsening congestion.
The Pune District Guardian Minister also reprimanded the officials for blocking traffic and directed them to open the road immediately.
The Chakan MIDC area alone employs 3 to 3.5 lakh people, and with countless industries operating here, smooth connectivity is critical. Pawar, who has been on an ‘action mode’ spree across Pimpri-Chinchwad, IT Parks, and industrial zones, made it clear that solutions can’t wait any longer.
Reacting to Pawar's visit, Darshan Sharma, a commuter, said, "We don't want just visits… our problems need to be addressed at the earliest. I spend two hours every day to reach from Chakan to Alandi Road, which is just two kilometres."
Sakashi Mate, another employee, said, "I spent four hours to reach home. It was very difficult to manage kids, home and an eight-hour job. I can't cook on time at home and on most days can even reach the factory on time, thereby ending up getting a late mark. No one understands our problem."
New municipal corporations for Pune
Meanwhile, Pawar also hinted that Pune will get new three municipal corporations in the Chakan, Hinjawadi and Phursungi areas as a long term solution to tackle the poor infra issues.
"There is a need to create new municipal corporations in Uruli Devachi, Phursungi, Loni Kalbhor, and Wagholi. Similarly, a separate municipal corporation is needed for Hinjewadi and surrounding areas, and another for the Chakan area. I will get them done,” said Pawar.
The deputy CM also said Hinjewadi, Chakan, and Phursungi are villages. If they are upgraded to municipal corporations, more villages from the surrounding respective areas will be added to their limits so the planned development will also be carried out to meet the demands of the growing population.
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