Sena MP, Ghorpadi residents protest against road closure

Shiv Sena member of parliament (MP) Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil led a delegation of local politicians and citizens to the army's Pune sub-area office on Saturday afternoon to protest against the five-month old closure of the Ghorpadi-Koregaon Park connecting road.

The road closure for the last five months by the sub-area authorities has irked Ghorpadi-based commuters and motorists because they are now forced to travel an additional 7 km to reach Koregaon Park from the Ghorpadi railway crossing.

The MP's delegation submitted a memorandum to the Pune-sub area asking them to open the road to civilian traffic, failing which they would undertake a rasta roko after a week.

Disclosing this information to DNA, Santosh Kawade, member Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) said, "We are facing this problem for the last five months. We are already suffering from the lack of a railway over bridge in Ghorpadi. Now with this road closure, people are suffering even more.'' Kawade said that more than 80,000 people used this road every day.

Real estate agent, Nadeem Shaikh (28), a resident of Mundhwa, told DNA, "I have to visit Koregaon Park twice every day. I used to reach the area within 10 minutes. Now, I need to travel an additional 10 km to travel the same distance."

Likewise, Rajashree Mudaliar (45), a resident of Ghorpadi, said, "My son is studying in Ness Wadia College and using this road was very convenient and safe. But now I am worried till he comes home.''