Pune: Huge turnout at Save Vetal Tekdi march despite rains

Despite the rains, Punekars from all walks of life including children to senior citizens participated in the protest Save Vetal Tekdi march held in the city on Saturday.

Amidst the uproar over the proposed Bal Bharti Paud Phata (BBPP) Link road project in Pune, the "Vetal Tekadi Bachao Kruti Samiti (Save Vetal Tekdi Task Force)", an apolitical group with the aim to save one of the city's most valuable natural resources, had organised a protest on April 15 at 5 pm from Vetal Baba Chwok at Senapati Bapat Road in Pune to mark their opposition to the project. The group also sought a heritage site status in the civic body's list for Vetal Tekdi.

Earlier it was reported that the Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil assured the activist that he will direct the civic body to hold the ongoing process for the implementation of the project. However, there is no official update on the same. 

The environmental activists in the city have been opposing this project since it was first proposed in 1987. The road will traverse the foothills of Vetal Tekdi. For the uninitiated, 

Vetal Tekdi is a prominent hill in the city limits of Pune. The administration has maintained that the proposed road will decrease traffic pressure in Nal Stop Chowk. At present, passengers travelling from Senapati Bapat Road towards Paud Road have to use Law college road, which often witnesses traffic congestion during peak hours.