FPJ Impact: Tehseen Poonawalla To Raise Pune's Traffic Issue With CMO

In response to the news article "City's worsening traffic jams put EMS at risk," published by The Free Press Journal on Thursday, addressing the escalating traffic woes impacting emergency medical services, many Punekars voiced their discontent, adding to the list of complaints.

Meanwhile, the article also grabbed the attention of prominent figures such as Tehseen Poonawalla, who promised to not only “look into the issue but also look for solutions.”

Poonawalla, a television personality and political analyst, expressed his concern over the mounting traffic challenges. When contacted, he said, “I will take up this issue,” questioning, “What can you expect from the corruption in the local bodies?”

When queried about immediate measures for the problem, Poonawalla outlined his plans, saying, “At present, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is in Davos, and I will be contacting his office next week. Additionally, I will convene with stakeholders, specifically the administrative body, to collaboratively devise solutions for this grave issue.”

In a proactive approach, he also shared that he will conduct a meeting with all the hospitals and doctors next week. “The objective is to engage in discussions addressing the issues and concerns impeding emergency medical services due to traffic congestion. Next week, I will meet with all hospital owners and hopefully resolve their concerns,” he added.

Contrastingly, Chenthil Iyer, Vice President, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Pune, spoke of the efforts made by BJP MLA Siddharth Shirole, who has been constantly trying to resolve the issue but in vain.

Talking about the plans AAP has amidst the lack of political leadership in the city, Iyer shared, “We will meet with the DCP for the traffic department next Monday and hold discussions with public transport officials, including Metro and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) as we believe only 20% of the population commutes using public transport and this needs to increase.”

"There are many reasons behind the traffic woes in the city which have been constantly hammered upon, but one important factor is also wrong-side driving, which is an emerging issue as well. In Kothrud last week, observations revealed that up to 72 bikes navigated the wrong side of the road within a single hour. This underscores the imperative need for public education initiatives to ensure adherence to traffic rules. This would also reduce road traffic accidents too," Iyer said matter-of-factly.