Pune: Aundh, Bhau Patil Road Residents, Students Stage ‘Gate Hatao’ Protest At Khadki, Demand Safer Roads and Traffic Reforms
Pune: Aundh, Bhau Patil Road Residents, Students Stage ‘Gate Hatao’ Protest At Khadki, Demand Safer Roads and Traffic Reforms
Pune, October 3, 2025: A joint peaceful protest march was held on October 3, 2025, by residents, students and staff of St. Thomas School along the Sai Mandir–Mont Vert Pristine stretch, demanding urgent action against unsafe traffic conditions, neglected roads and the growing hazards around railway gates in the neighbourhood.
The protest began at noon with schoolchildren and staff gathering at the Sai Mandir junction, carrying placards and raising slogans to highlight the risks they face daily on their way to school. Later in the evening, residents of societies along Aundh Road and Bhau Patil Road marched towards Mont Vert Pristine Society in solidarity, adding their voices to the demand for safer streets.
The issues raised are long-standing. Residents want unsafe railway parcel gates shut down, proper traffic signals installed, and police presence ensured at key junctions. They are also pressing for long-overdue repairs of broken internal roads from the Range Hill underpass to Sai Baba Chowk. Other demands include constructing dividers, streamlining cab drop-offs near Sai Mandir and St. Thomas School, and banning heavy goods vehicles from residential lanes.
Organisers emphasised that this protest is not about confrontation but about safety and survival. “Our children’s lives cannot be put at risk every single day. We need proper road infrastructure, not jugaad fixes,” said one parent marching with her child. The march carried a strong message of unity, with families, schools, churches and communities walking shoulder to shoulder.
The organisers have also launched an online petition to push civic authorities into action. They are urging all residents and housing societies along the internal road to lend their support.
The protest ended peacefully but firmly, with the shared resolve: safer roads, peaceful living, and a better future for everyone in the neighbourhood.
