Pune: NIBM Annexe–Mohammadwadi Residents Call Out PMC, Traffic Police Over Tanker Parking Mess  

Pune, October 2, 2025: Residents of  NIBM Annexe-Mohammadwadi , a rapidly developing neighborhood in Pune, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, are demanding immediate government intervention over what they describe as a complete breakdown of traffic infrastructure and civic governance.

At the heart of the crisis is SM Ghule Chowk, a busy traffic junction in the Salunkhe Vihar–NIBM Annexe corridor, where poorly executed urban planning, alleged political interference, and official inaction have resulted in near-daily gridlock and mounting public frustration.

A coalition of concerned citizens, including civic activists and political workers, has submitted a formal complaint to senior municipal, state, and police officials — including the Chief Minister of Maharashtra — accusing the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the city’s traffic police, and other planning departments of gross negligence.

 A Junction in Chaos

Each day, dozens of water tankers are illegally parked near the Axis Bank ATM at SM Ghule Chowk, obstructing traffic flow on a narrow and congested road. The route, which connects Anandvan Gate to the main circle, has become a chokepoint for thousands of commuters.

“There is no enforcement, no order, no accountability,” said Shashikant Mehendale, a civic rights activist. “Lives are at risk, and no one from the traffic police or PMC seems to care.”

The situation is further exacerbated by what residents call a “flawed and oversized” traffic circle that was recently installed by the PMC on a supposed pilot basis. Locals allege that the trial has been conducted without data collection, expert oversight, or even public notification.

Transparency Concerns and Alleged Collusion

Residents say that neither the design nor the documentation of the SM Ghule Chowk traffic circle project has been shared with the public. Manjusha Kulkarni, a community leader, accused the authorities of intentionally hiding details.

“This project is being implemented behind closed doors. Citizens’ suggestions, objections, and feedback have been completely ignored,” she said. “It’s as if the roads are being treated like private property by a handful of influential individuals.”

According to Kulkarni, certain builders are allegedly paying off road contractors involved in a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement to maintain the current state of disarray, benefiting commercial interests at the expense of public safety.

 A Broader Collapse

The crisis at SM Ghule Chowk is just one of several interconnected failures across the region:

Illegal Parking: Despite visible “No Parking” signage, the road between Anandvan and SM Ghule Chowk is routinely used as a parking zone by patrons of nearby businesses. Traffic police are largely absent.

Encroachments: The roadways and footpaths are crowded with unauthorized vendors, stalls, and even politically affiliated structures, leaving pedestrians—especially children and elderly citizens—to walk in traffic.

Unregulated Markets: A nearby fish market near Indian Oil Petrol pump chowk ahead of the restaurant has turned into another flashpoint, with vendors occupying the road and creating dangerous bottlenecks.

Lack of Monitoring: Residents say the Kalepadal division of the Pune Traffic Police has failed to deploy officers, conduct traffic studies, or install surveillance infrastructure like CCTV cameras or smart signals.

Formal Complaint Escalates to State Level

A detailed letter authored by Jaymala Dhankikar, a local political figure and BJP party member, has been sent to multiple high-level authorities including:

The Municipal Commissioner of Pune
The Commissioner of Police, Pune City
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister
The Secretary of Urban Development
The Director General of Police
The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) in New Delhi

The letter outlines specific allegations of dereliction of duty and calls for the redesign of SM Ghule Chowk by IRC-certified engineers, eviction of illegal vendors, strict parking enforcement, and the installation of intelligent traffic management systems.

Dhankikar warns that without swift intervention, residents may seek redress through the judiciary.

Government Silence

As of this report, neither the Pune Municipal Corporation nor the city’s traffic police have issued a public response to the allegations.

Repeated attempts to contact officials from the Kalepadal Traffic Division and PMC’s road planning department were unsuccessful.

 A Manufactured Crisis

Community activists believe the crisis is not the result of urban sprawl alone, but of deliberate mismanagement.

“Development is not the problem,” Mehendale said. “The problem is that departments are failing—or refusing—to do their job. This isn’t misfortune; it’s a manufactured crisis.”

For now, citizens wait—often for hours in traffic—for their voices to be heard.