Pune: Chakan Locals, Industry Leaders March To PMRDA Office Over Worsening Traffic Woes
Pune: Chakan Locals, Industry Leaders March To PMRDA Office Over Worsening Traffic Woes
Pune, October 10, 2025: Frustration over persistent traffic congestion and neglected infrastructure in the Chakan industrial belt boiled over into a massive protest march on Thursday. Hundreds of residents, industrial workers, and business owners joined the agitation, organised by the Chakan Kruti Samiti, to demand urgent government intervention and completion of long-pending road projects.
The protesters, led by MP Dr Amol Kolhe, former MP Shivaji Adhalrao Patil, and activist Kunal Kad, marched to the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) office in Akurdi. Tight police security was deployed along the route.
Despite several visits and reviews by top officials, including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, locals say the situation on the ground has barely improved. Narrow roads, encroachments, and incomplete roadworks continue to paralyse traffic across the Chakan–Pimpri-Chinchwad–Talegaon corridor, affecting thousands of daily commuters and industrial employees.
“Every day, people lose valuable work hours stuck in traffic. Industries are also facing losses due to delays in transportation of raw materials and finished goods,” said Kad.
Following the protest, PMRDA Commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase met the delegation and briefed them about the ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects. However, protesters demanded visible, time-bound results rather than repeated assurances.
Adhalrao Patil said, “The region urgently needs a comprehensive traffic mobility plan for Chakan, Talegaon, Shikrapur, and Shirur. Permissions were granted to industries without planning supporting infrastructure, and road development has been delayed for decades.”
PMRDA officials responded that major road and connectivity projects worth ₹1,558 crore have received administrative approval. These include 40.74 km of road network development across Chakan, with key works such as the Charholi Khurd–Alandi road via Markal, Nigoje–Chakan MIDC link, and Khalumbre–MIDC Phase II road.
Other major projects like the Talegaon–Chakan Highway to Volkswagen Plant, SANY Company–Samruddhi CNG Pump stretch, Medankawadi–Rase Phata road, and the proposed Western Bypass are in various stages of land acquisition and execution, totalling over ₹261 crore.
PMRDA has also intensified its anti-encroachment drive, demolishing 428 illegal structures—including 347 unauthorised buildings and 81 hoardings—obstructing road expansion.
However, MP Kolhe criticised PMRDA’s planning approach, saying, “PMRDA is the planning authority but lacks a clear and unified traffic mobility vision. Permissions continue without addressing infrastructure bottlenecks. I fear the momentum will slow down once the election code of conduct comes into effect.”
Residents and industrial stakeholders have warned that unless immediate and sustained action is taken, the Chakan traffic crisis could worsen—impacting both commuters and Maharashtra’s crucial industrial growth corridor.
