Nashik police set for another opposition at Dwarka

NASHIK: If the ongoing protests over the closure of the Indiranagar underpass are any indication, the city police and National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) will have to reconsider creating the two proposed U-turns on either side of Dwarka. The U-turns are being put in place to help resolve frequent congestions at the busy junction.
Residents of Indiranagar and Govindnagar continue to fume over the police’s decision to close the underpass.On Saturday, corporator Deepali Kulkarni, from Indiranagar area, stated that she was contemplating filing a public interest litigation (PIL) over the closure of the underpass.
After Indiranagar, the NHAI plans to create similar U-turns on either side of Dwarka junction. NHAI officials, who did not wish to be quoted, said that to resolve the problem at the junction, it has been decided to ensure that vehicular movement at Dwarka junction is only from Nashik Road towards the CBS-end, as well as in the opposite direction. If vehicles from Dhule want to move towards CBS, they will have to take a U-turn under the flyover and take a left from Dwarka junction to proceed towards CBS thereafter. Similarly, vehicles coming from Mumbai-end will also have to take a U-turn a few hundred meters after Dwarka, take a right and then proceed towards Nashik Road.
The twin U-turns, on either side of the junction, are being created to ensure that there is no rush of vehicles that have to take a deep left or right turn at Dwarka circle. The deep turns usually result in a drop in speed and, therefore, traffic congestions through the day. The decision to create the U-turns has been taken on the basis of a recent survey conducted by a private agency, which specialises in traffic management, for the NHAI.
Meanwhile, local citizens have opposed the planned changes at Dwarka Circle. Sachin Marathe, corporator of ward number 30 that includes the Dwarka area, said, "There are a large number of encroachments near the junction. The U-turns would work wonders for the Dwarka junction and it should become functional. However, public opinion on the U-turns is a must and it should be taken well in advance. At the same time, people will also have to be convinced on what is beneficial for them. All efforts will be made to ensure that an Indiranagar-like opposition does not repeat at Dwarka."
Last month, city police had contemplated closing the traffic from Mahatma Phule Chowk towards Dwarka to ease the problem of traffic congestion at the busy junction. For the same purpose, the police had sought public suggestions and objections. Senior police officials said that since they received a number of objections, they were forced to put the decision on hold.