Multi-level flyover seen as threat to College of Engineering Pune

The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) project of construction of a multi-level flyover at the College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) junction has run into stiff opposition from authorities, students and alumni of the reputed institute.

The project, which will take away from the institute a strip of land 42 metres wide, on completion would have the busy old Mumbai-Pune highway, practically skirt the classrooms of the electronics and telecommunications (EnTC), mechanical, metallurgy and computer engineering departments of the institution.

The Rs68 crore project includes a set of flyovers spanning the Sangam bridge, CoEP Chowk, Mumbai-Pune highway, Sangamwadi bridge, Sancheti Chowk, Simla Office Chowk and JM Road.

Shivaji Sankpal, executive engineer of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), stated that a strip of land around 42 metres wide needs to be acquired from the CoEP campus.

“The technical survey for the work has been done and the work for the foundation would begin soon. The multi-level flyover project is to be completed within the next two-and-half years,” he said.

But college authorities point out that the traffic will be too close to the classrooms.”The effect of land acquisition would mean the busy Mumbai-Pune highway coming close to some of the classrooms of the departments,” said Anil Sahasrabudhe, director of CoEP.

The land adjacent to the EnTC to mechanical departments will be acquired putting the EnTC and computer departments opening on to the main road. The vehicles will move just a few feet away from the porch of the mechanical department.

The metallurgy department will be on the road and the main
entrance of the department would be closed forever.
The traffic will move very close to the library, auditorium, EnTC, computer and mechanical buildings.

The effect of this, pointed out activist and alumnus Prashant Inamdar, would be disastrous for the  institute. “Other than the aesthetic defacement, it would put the grade ‘A’ heritage structure of the  college at threat from the vibrations and noise from the ever growing traffic,” he said.

Sahasrabudhe strongly opposed the plans of the PMC, while
stating that the institute is willing to accommodate land for the expansion of the Sancheti flyover.

“The multi-level flyover plan does not accommodate the question of students and pedestrians. We have suggested that they modify their plans and allow for an underpass for the vehicles,” he said.

He said he has already let the PMC know of his opposition to the plan and will write letters to the chief minister, deputy chief minister asking them to scrap the plan.

Inamdar said the college produced some of the best engineers in the country like Sir M Visvesvarayya, BG Shirke, Leela Poonawalla and many others.