In good news for Punekars, a resolution is in sight for the Katraj traffic woes after 28 long years. An official from the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) land acquisition department said that the Maharashtra government's revenue department has completed the demarcation and measurement of the land in Katraj after acquiring it.
The acquired land, located at Survey No. 1/2 B (part), falls under the 60-metre Development Plan (DP) road and was a significant bottleneck in the area's traffic flow. The acquisition was carried out under the guidance of Pune Municipal Commissioner Dr Rajendra Bhosale, Additional Commissioner Prithviraj BP and officials of the land acquisition and management department.
With the land now under PMC control, traffic congestion at Katraj Chowk is expected to ease significantly, benefiting commuters on the Katraj-Kondhwa route. This long-awaited development is set to improve the overall traffic situation in the region.
A resident, Sumit Singh, said, "This is a welcome move. We hope this will help the completion of road development and hopefully we will get smoother traffic flow in the area."
PMC pays ₹20 crore
PMC paid ₹20 crore as cash compensation to the owner of a 3,968 square feet land parcel. This land will be handed over to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction of a flyover at Katraj Junction. The NHAI is constructing a six-lane flyover, part of a larger plan to ease traffic congestion in the area. The flyover will stretch 1,326 metres in length and 24.20 metres in width, running from the Pune-Mumbai Bypass to the Kondhwa-Katraj Road.
PMC road department head Aniruddha Pawaskar said, "The much-awaited Katraj Junction has gained momentum as the land acquisition issue has been resolved. The PMC paid ₹20 crore as compensation amount and acquired 3,968 sq feet of land. The delay in acquiring the land has primarily been due to reluctance on the part of its owner to relinquish it. We will start the work tomorrow and it will solve the traffic issues in the area."
