Pune: District collector Jitendra Dudi on Friday directed officials to complete all urgent road works in Chakan by Aug 31 (Monday) and remove traffic-obstructing encroachments on priority. He even authorised traffic diversions for up to 24 hours for round-the-clock work, where needed, to speed up repairs.“Divert traffic for as long as necessary to complete road works at full capacity. Complete urgent works by Aug 31 and continue subsequent works in a planned manner. After removing encroachments, immediately create the necessary infrastructure to ensure there is no re-encroachment,” Dudi said, after reviewing road repairs, traffic congestion, parking, drainage and civic infrastructure in the Chakan industrial belt. He also sought a separate action plan for works scheduled after Sept 1.At a high-level meeting attended by MLA Babaji Kale, Pimpri Chinchwad deputy commissioner of police Vikrant Deshmukh and officials from various agencies, Dudi said uninterrupted traffic on damaged roads was affecting both the pace and quality of repair work. He directed departments to identify alternative routes in advance and prioritise congestion-prone locations, while ensuring coordination among PMRDA and other agencies.To improve parking management, officials were told to map available parking spaces and share details with industries, transporters and motorists. Authorities will also hold discussions with transport associations to address operational concerns and study the movement of autorickshaws, goods carriers and other vehicles for incorporation into a comprehensive traffic plan.Calling encroachments a major contributor to congestion, Dudi directed agencies to remove them immediately. He also ordered the creation of roads, drainage networks or other infrastructure at vacated sites to prevent re-encroachment. “Pending works related to natural drains and drainage systems must be completed within a month,” he said.The collector further ordered a comprehensive survey of Chakan’s roads, drainage, traffic and parking infrastructure, with departments asked to identify deficiencies and address them through time-bound measures. Agencies have also been told to prepare an integrated infrastructure plan to avoid repeated road digging by different departments.Residents also raised local infrastructure and traffic concerns during the meeting, following which officials were directed to take prompt action.
