Chakan Road Revolution: ₹156 Crore Project Approved.

In a major step toward easing congestion in the Chakan industrial belt, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has received approval to begin ₹156 crore worth of road improvement works in Khed taluka, with completion targeted within a year.

The package includes upgrades to seven PMRDA roads valued at ₹100.14 crore and five Major District Road (MDR) stretches worth ₹56.50 crore. Approval was granted after PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Yogesh Mhase sought clearance from district collector and election officer Jitendra Dudi to issue work orders during the model code of conduct. Dudi confirmed the works fall outside election-bound areas and allowed them to proceed.

Mhase noted that the PMRDA executive committee had already cleared the projects and that an executing agency will be appointed shortly. “These works are part of immediate measures to ease pressure in the Chakan belt, and we plan to complete them within a year,” he said.

The initiative follows mounting traffic congestion driven by rapid industrial growth, heavy truck movement, and narrow road widths. The plan involves widening 3.75-metre stretches to 5.5–10 metres, using concrete or asphalt as required, along with a 10-year maintenance clause. An engineer involved in the project said the upgrades will provide better alternatives for traffic moving from the Chakan industrial area toward Pune and beyond.

Citizens’ group Traffic Mukt Chakan Kriti Samiti welcomed the move. “This is a long-pending but very positive step,” said member Kunal Kad. Daily commuters echoed the sentiment: Pravin Shinde noted that peak-hour traffic often causes hour-long delays on short stretches, while Meenal Jagtap highlighted that ambulances frequently get stuck for 30–40 minutes. Both stressed the need for timely completion.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.