Kalyaninagar residents to stage 'rasta roko' on Friday

Kalyaninagar Residents Association (KNRA) along with Matru Bhumi Foundation has decided to stage a rasta roko on Friday to oppose the movement of heavy vehicles in the area.

KNRA chairman Surinder Aggarwwal and secretary Dr Jyoti Shinde said that as authorities are not serious about their long-pending demand, they have decided to agitate.

According to Shinde, political workers have also supported their demand. MLA Bapu Pathare and local corporator Prakash Galande will participate in the agitation.

“The residents are facing a lot of inconvenience due to the menace of heavy vehicles on West Avenue from Aga Khan Bridge Chowk to Shastrinagar junction on Ahmednagar Road,” Aggarwwal told DNA.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Manoj Patil had decided to ban heavy vehicles on the route on November 16 but the traffic police are yet to implement the decision. He said the ban needs to be enforced immediately for the safety of residents, schoolchildren and senior citizens.

Shinde said the pedestrians find it difficult to walk on footpaths due to encroachments by hawkers. “We have been demanding a hawkers’ zone in the area but to no avail,” he said.

The KNRA office-bearers said that the work on Ramwadi Chowk flyover is extremely slow and it has been stopped for the past few months. Besides, the demand for a road divider from Shastrinagar Chowk to Ramwadi Chowk has been raised several times.

Aggrawwal said the residents will gather at the junction of Nagarwalla School and West Avenue (near Cybage) at 8.45am on Friday and march peacefully towards the Shastrinagar junction. They will demonstrate at the junction with banners and placards.