PCMC's Harit Setu project faces protest as Pune residents block chowk with black flags

Hundreds of residents from the Nigdi Pradhikaran area under the PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMC in Pune staged a protest on Wednesday against the ongoing work of the Harit Setu Green Bridge projectCarrying black flags angry locals blocked Hutatma Chowk and warned that they would intensify their agitation if the civic administration did not take immediate corrective actionLeaders from various political parties citizen groups and local associations joined the protest alleging that the project has created severe traffic congestion environmental damage and safety hazards and has been imposed without public consentThe protest organised by the Nigdi Pradhikaran Resident Foundation NPRF began at 5 pm near Anand Hospital in Sector 26ndash27ldquoWe are demanding the cancellation of the Harit Setu project Residents have been suffering daily due to the chaos created by these oversized footpaths and unplanned construction workrdquo said Chandrakant Kothari a local resident and one of the organisersResidents slam PCMC for lsquoforciblyrsquo implementing the projectLocals claimed that despite widespread opposition the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMC is forcefully executing the Harit Setu design which includes unusually wide footpaths on 45metre and 54metre roadsResidents alleged that these footpaths have already turned into spaces for ldquobeggars makeshift dining areas for restaurant hutments illegal parking and hawkersrdquo defeating the purpose of pedestrianfriendly designldquoThe whole project reeks of gross incompetence or extreme corruptionrdquo said one residentAnother added ldquoTraffic jams occur because there are too many vehicles and no real plan to shift people to walking cycling or public transport Wider footpaths wonrsquot magically reduce traffic unless the public transport system improvesrdquoResidents also pointed out that Pune Municipal Corporation is reducing oversized footpaths while the neighbouring PCMC is expanding them despite clear objectionsldquoThe planners are not in touch with reality People need footpaths yes but vehicle numbers will not suddenly disappear Improve buses and trains first then build these massive pedestrian spaces Otherwise this is just common sense gone wrongrdquo remarked a residentAnother citizen questioned the rationale behind the project ldquoNobody even demanded Harit Setu Many areas in PCMC still lack proper roads and drainage Why spend crores on cosmetic workrdquoAccidents and safety concerns risingLocals also highlighted growing safety risksSonali Shinde a resident said that traffic heading from Big India towards Mukai Chowk has increased drastically especially near the school for the hearing and speech impairedldquoCars are parked carelessly near the nursery blocking the road and vehicles speeding from Big India do not see those turning from Durgeshwar Road Itrsquos a terrifying accidentprone zone nowrdquo she warnedlsquoOver 90 per cent residents oppose the projectrsquoYogesh Babar an activist and resident of Sector 24 said he has been opposing the project since it was first proposed during the tenure of Commissioner Shravan HardikarldquoOver 90 per cent of Pradhikaran residents are against it PCMC has started the work without public consultation Roads are in total chaos now Footpaths are encroached by cars twowheelers and hawkers reducing the carriageway and causing traffic jams If the work isnrsquot stopped immediately we will escalate the protest and meet Deputy CM Ajit Pawarrdquo he saidlsquoNo accountability in executionrsquo Former PCMC officerFormer PCMC Chief Medical Officer Dr Anil Roy also criticised the projectldquoThere is no accountability in the execution of Harit Seturdquo he told middaycom adding ldquoPublic amenities like walking and cycling paths are good but they are being created by shrinking major roads These spaces are being misused by hawkers vendors and nomads I recently posted a video of the footpath work near Anand Hospital Chowkmdashthere were dozens of comments against the project and even remarks on the poorquality workrdquoLocal leaders say Pradhikaranrsquos charm has been lostLocal leaders including Aaba Takawane Raju Misal Amit Gawade and Bala Danawale criticised PCMC stating that the once wellplanned Pradhikaranmdashmodelled on the Chandigarh layoutmdashhas now lost its beautyldquoThis area houses major establishments schools and colleges The new wide footpaths have created massive traffic blocks daily and disrupted the original town planningrdquo they saidAbout Harit Setu project details as shared by civic officialsThe Harit Setu project has been awarded to Ms BG Shirke Construction Technology with Ms Prasanna Desai Architect appointed as the urban designer and Ms Pavetech Consulting Engineering Services serving as the project consultant The work order for the project was issued on October 7 2024 and the total duration of the project is 24 monthsThe projectrsquos original tender cost was Rs 16027 crore while the accepted tender amount stands at Rs 13301 crore reflecting a reduction of 1701 per cent Till date the civic body has recorded a billing amount of Rs 1703 crore According to officials work is currently underway on H1 concrete road roads H2 H3 H4 and stretches H1016 17 18 19 20 21 22 along with H1007 08 09 10 where street footpath development is progressing The project has achieved 17 per cent physical progress and 1280 per cent financial progress so farThe project spans 30 roads of varying widthsmdashfrom 15 metres to 54 metres These include 7250 metres of 15metre roads 770 metres of 18metre roads 5380 metres of 24metre roads 630 metres of 305metre roads H2 2450 metres of 45metre roads H1 and 900 metres of 54metre roads H9 The area also includes 72 alleys 25 metres wide covering a combined length of 2815 metres The total project covers 20195 km of road length and 3583825 sq m of development areaOut of this 13 roadsmdashmeasuring 7 kmmdashare currently under construction Completed portions include 175 km with both sides developed and 519 km completed on one side