After a systematic citizens campaign, the Pune civic administration started working on the construction of elevated pedestrian crossings on Nagras Road in Aundh on Saturday.
After a systematic citizens’ campaign, the civic administration started working on the construction of elevated pedestrian crossings on Nagras Road in Aundh on Saturday.
Nagras Road was the scene of the tragic accident on March 23, which took the life of collegian Ruchita Balwalli (18). Ruchita was on a two-wheeler when a speeding bus of St Helena’s School collided with her.
After the accident, Ruchita’s bereaved father, Ashwin Balwalli, along with volunteers from the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Save Pune Traffic Movement (SPTM), West Aundh Welfare Association (Wawa) and other social organisations in Aundh, took up the issue of construction of road dividers and elevated pedestrian crossings on the road.
DNA had reported about the initiatives in the last week of March and first week of April. The systematic follow-up of the citizens and NGOs paid off. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) started construction of four elevated pedestrian crossings at various locations on the road.
Built with interlocking blocks and steel bollards at both ends, the work on the crossings started on Saturday and will take 10 days more.
Bobby Gokhale, president of Wawa, said the residents held numerous meetings with the Aundh civic ward office and the local corporator, Sangeeta Gaikwad, to press for construction of road dividers and elevated crossings on this road.
“The recent death of Ruchita added urgency to the matter. We demanded the construction of the pedestrian crossings to prevent re-occurrence of similar incidents in the future,” he said.
Nitin Chimte, PMC junior engineer, said the work would be completed in the next 10 days. “The total budget of the work is around Rs10 lakh. However, the work is far from over. Laying of a mastic layer over the crossings, installation of reflectors and painting of the crossing are still left. Hopefully, these will be done within the next few days,” he said.
On his part, Balwalli expressed satisfaction with the civic body for initiating the work. “We had discussed the proposal 10 days ago and the work finally started on Saturday. Hopefully, it will be over within the time frame,” he said.
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