The long-awaited DP Road project connecting Warje Jakat Naka to Tirupati Nagar in Ward No. 31 has been stalled for the past 15 days, raising a discontent among locals. The incomplete road has not only disrupted daily commuting, but also the traffic has increased.
A social worker, Ravindra Mirajkar, has raised the issue with Municipal Commissioner, demanding immediate action. He revealed that PMC's Road Department halted the construction nearly two weeks ago. When questioned, site engineer Piyush Bonde confirmed that the contractor has stopped work due to exhaustion of the sanctioned tender amount. Also, he added that there is no clarity on when the work will resume.
The development work on the 600-metre stretch of DP road began in November 2017, with an estimated budget of ₹5 crore. Despite multiple attempts and considerable expenditure, the road remains unfinished. According to Mirajkar, this marks the third or fourth time the work has come to a standstill, causing public funds to be wasted.
With construction halted, the site has become a hotspot for illegal parking, truck and tempo encroachments and unauthorised stalls. The incomplete road remains unusable for residents, which leads to growing public frustration.
The locals are claiming that the civic body is willfully ignoring their problems and, in the name of development, they are just sanctioning the amount and the funds are not being used wisely.
Citizens have now warned that if the work does not resume soon, they will stage a protest. They are urging the Municipal Commissioner to personally intervene and issue urgent orders to the concerned departments to complete the work and open the road for public use.
"One of the key reasons behind the delay is the lack of coordination among various departments. Three large trees, a partially demolished MSEB structure and unremoved structures are obstructing the road. The road, parks, encroachment and property departments are not taking the responsibility and are passing the buck, each blaming the other for the lack of progress," said Siddharth Wanjale, a local resident.
Krupa Patil, an HR professional and resident of Deshmukh Wadi, said, "PMC's lack of accountability and coordination is costing us heavily in terms of time, money and daily inconvenience. A swift and transparent action should be taken to end this long-pending work. We want the commissioner to look into the matter and provide some solution."
The Free Press Journal tried to contact the Warje ward officer for a comment, but didn't get any response.
