Residents seek action as fatalities surge on Katraj-Mantarwadi Road

Pune-Ahmednagar road has become a corridor for heavy vehicles, including trucks and tourist buses

- Dheeraj Bengrut

PUNE: The rapid development of areas such as Wagholi and Narhe has led to a dramatic increase in traffic congestion and road accidents, prompting residents to sell their flats and move out to safer, less congested areas while slowing down the sales of real estate as new residential projects struggle to find buyers.

Kushal Das, a working professional, said, "We bought a 2-BHK flat in Wagholi seven years ago, but the last couple of years have been terrifying. Almost every week, there is an accident on the Pune-Ahmednagar Road."

Wagholi has grown exponentially over the past decade with more than 200 residential societies and several educational institutions coming up in the area. This has led to a surge in traffic on the state highway connecting Pune to Ahilya Nagar, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and other major cities like Nagpur and Amravati.

Developer Santosh Jadhav, who has been active in Wagholi's real estate sector, said, "In the last 12 years, we have built and sold about 60 flats here. However, large developers have constructed societies with 300 to 400 flats, causing a sudden population boom. This has contributed to daily traffic jams and frequent accidents."

According to the Yerawada police, 77 fatalities were reported on the Pune-Ahmednagar Road between January and December 2024. Reckless driving, particularly by heavy vehicle drivers, remains a significant concern. Although there is a ban on heavy vehicle movement during peak hours, enforcement of the ban remains lax. Recently on December 23, 2024, three persons died and nine others were injured in an accident involving a truck.