Pune Police have announced several safety measures to be taken on Gangadham Chowk–Kondhwa Road after a woman was killed in an accident there on Wednesday.
29-year-old Deepali Yuvraj Soni, riding pillion on a bike, was killed, and her 61-year-old father-in-law, Jagdish Pannalal Soni, who was riding the two-wheeler, was seriously injured after it was hit by a truck at Gangadham Chowk.
The accident was caught on CCTV cameras installed at the busy traffic junction.
Among the measures taken, the police have imposed a complete ban on all types of heavy vehicles on the stretch between the Shatrunjay Temple and Gangadham Chowk on the Katraj–Kondhwa Road. They have also announced that the installation of height barriers and the shifting of the liquor shops in the area would be undertaken to control road accidents at the spot.
Speaking to the media after visiting the accident spot, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said, “We are working on a priority basis to bring traffic discipline to Gangadham Chowk. Action is being taken against the illegal godowns and unauthorised constructions in the area. Steps would be taken to shift these liquor shops or cancel their licences."
Kumar added that the police are in talks with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) authorities regarding the need to redesign the entire Gangadham junction to prevent mishaps in the future.
The area has witnessed a construction boom in the last 10–15 years. However, the residents are now complaining of narrow, poorly maintained and encroached roads, the absence of proper footpaths and streetlights, massive traffic jams during office and school hours, and frequent accidents.
