Wide road to make travel to Hinjewadi easy

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: The road from Bhumkar chowk to Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Hinjewadi will be widened as most owners of land have up their claim in lieu of TDR (transferrable development rights) or floor space index (FSI).
People who commute from Chinchwad to Hinjewadi IT Park will benefit the most. Over 3.5 lakh people from Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and the fringe areas work in the IT Park. Most employees commute to work in their personal vehicles in the absence of a good public transport system.
The state urban development department, under the town planning scheme, had sanctioned the road construction plan in March last year.
The PCMC has planned to develop eight major roads, construct rail overbridges and take up other works under the Bus Rapid Transit engineering department. The 1.8km road from Bhumkar chowk in Tathawade to Shivaji chowk is one of them. The PCMC has also planned to widen the narrow 3km stretch of road from Bhumkar chowk to Dange chowk in Thergaon.
Prakash Thakur, deputy director of town planning, said, "The award for land acquisition has been declared so the land acquisition process is complete now. The PCMC will now be able to complete the widening work easily. We have obtained possession of some land by issuing TDRs." The officials, however, could not say how many people have given land for the road.
Vijay Bhojane, spokesperson of PCMC's BRT cell, said, "The road from Bhumkar chowk to the edge of PCMC limits in Hinjewadi village is about 1.8kms long. The present two-lane road is narrow. So the PCMC is widening it to 30 metres. Around one lakh vehicles use this road daily. As a result, traffic congestion at peak hours is common. There will be 1.2 meter wide road median and three lanes for vehicles on both sides. The widened road should reduce traffic congestion."
Former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had performed the ground breaking ceremony of the road widening project in the month of April. "The PCMC has demolished unauthorized constructions on the way. We have completed 20% of the widening work. The PCMC hopes that the work will be completed by end of December," Bhojane said.
The Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Hinjewadi, a village which will soon be included in Pimpri Chinchwad municipal limits, is visited by professionals from all parts of the city every day for work. Despite several steps taken in the past, the IT park and adjoining areas still experience traffic congestion, especially during peak hours .