Detour ordeal for Bopkhel residents

Pimpri Chinchwad: The 21,000 and odd residents would have to take a detour of about 16km via Vishrantwadi-Dighi to reach Khadki following the dismantling of the temporary (pontoon) bridge over Mula river on Tuesday.
The residents would have to spend extra bucks and time to reach Khadki taking the circuitous route. A few residents claimed that many people could relocate to avoid hassles after the removal of the bridge.
The College of Military Engineering (CME) had laid the bridge in the first week of June 2015 for the benefit residents.Last month, CME had informed the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) that it would be dismantled on June 7 for monsoon.
MPs and the Pimpri Chinchwad civic administration made hectic efforts to prevent the dismantling of the bridge. Last month, district collector Saurabh Rao and senior officials of PCMC had met defence minister Parrikar to work out alternatives. But the efforts went in vain, leaving residents rattled. Bopkhel resident Hanumant Ghule said, "The workers living on rent in Bopkhel here will now leave the village to settle elsewhere because of the additional transportation cost. Going to Khadki for shopping was easier when the temporary bridge was in place. Now, people will have to travel additional distance."
Shashikant Ghule, another resident, said, "The schools reopened for the new academic year today (Tuesday). Many parents had moved their children from schools in Dapodi to Khadki last year. Now, the students will have to travel longer distance."
Pradeep Thakur, a salesman who frequently visits Bopkhel, said the bridge facilitated easy movement to Khadki. "Residents going to Bopkhel from Khadki will now have to take a long detour of over 15km. They will first have to go to Vishrantwadi and then Dighi to reach Bopkhel."
Rajan Patil, the joint city engineer of PCMC, said, "We had informed the district collector that a pontoon bridge should be constructed. The defence authorities should give it to PCMC and we would maintain it. The district collector conveyed the message to defence minister Parrikar during his Pune visit and later sent a report to him according to his directive."
Corporator Sanjay alias Nana Kate said, "The defence authorities had started dismantling the bridge from 3am and completed the work by afternoon. We are planning to meet the defence officers to get the pontoon bridge as a temporary measure."
PCMC has planned to construct a permanent bridge across Mula river so that the residents could reach Khadki easily. But it would take at least two years. While the defence authorities have given the no-objection certificate, the irrigation department has raised some technical objections.
Earlier, on May 2 last year, CME had closed the 2.5km road from Bopkhel to Dapodi on the Mumbai-Pune highway according to the order of the Bombay high court. The residents had made a plea to CME to reopen the road then also.