Shastrinagar flyover work yet to begin eight months after work order
Preliminary work like soil testing and traffic surveys began in August 2024 and the work order was issued in October.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) senior engineer said, 'We are waiting for the final traffic diversion plan. The palkhi procession and traffic pressure made it difficult to begin work now.'
Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Amol Zende said, 'We have not approved the diversion plan or issued the no objection certificate (NoC). This is a critical junction, and due to the monsoon, work cannot begin. We are planning a diversion plan.'
The project, planned four years ago, had to be redesigned due to changes on the ground. Initially, road widening was required because of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) lane. But after the Ahmednagar Road BRT was dismantled, PMC got 7 metres of space, and widening was no longer needed.
'We got the work order in October last year but couldn't start work due to the traffic department's delay in giving the NoC. We plan to begin work by the end of this month,' said Shrikant Gaikwad, executive engineer, PMC.
'To reduce congestion, we will first build the grade separator. Traffic will be diverted from Shastrinagar to Golf Course Road via Karne Road near Don Bosco School. We've also cleared roadside encroachments and widened the road,' he said.
The project also required clearance from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as it is near the historic Aga Khan Palace. PMC gave a presentation to the National Monuments Authority in April 2024. Both central and state archaeology departments later approved the project.
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