The residents of Keshav Nagar claimed that the major issue of traffic congestion would be solved after the long-pending Godrej–Kharadi bridge is completed and the already-constructed underpass from Keshav Nagar to Amanora is open for public use.
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The civic administration proposed the new bridge in 2018-19, but the actual work started around 2022. PMC officials said the land at the Kharadi end of the bridge was being used for a crematorium and other purposes. "Hence, the work of landing the spans of the bridge has not moved ahead at the expected pace. Discussions are underway to work out a solution. The administration can finish the work within three months after resolving the land issues," an official said.
Land acquisition issues have stalled an 80% complete bridge over the Mula-Mutha river, connecting the Mundhwa-Keshav Nagar and Kharadi areas. Residents are now pressing authorities to speed up the project to provide them relief from prolonged detours and commuting hardships.
Anand Rao, a resident of Kharadi, said, "The bridge has not been completed for the past seven years and there is a builder lobby. The Kharadi area has an IT park so the flats are quite expensive and, on the other hand, Keshav Nagar is also developing and a lot of people from the IT industry live there, but there's a difference in pricing in flats in both the areas. So, the non-completion of the bridge is actually an agenda of the builders."
One of the residents also claimed that the traffic has increased in Keshav Nagar and Mundhwa due to the new one-way traffic rules.
According to local reports, vehicles from Keshav Nagar are now unable to go straight or take a right turn at Mundhwa Chowk. Instead, they have to take a mandatory left turn, which directs commuters towards the Magarpatta underbridge, from where a U-turn is required to access key locations like Kharadi, the Passport Office and Koregaon Park. This new route has caused longer travel times.
