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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
PUNE, July 28: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started working on a plan to widen the congested chowk opposite the main gate of Pune railway station following the Central Railway's proposal of handing over possession of its 350 sq mtrs of land to the civic administration.
The civic administration has already cleared all encroachments in the chowk by taking action against nine fruit vendors. The work of felling of two huge trees and widening the road linking Pune railway station with Maldhakka chowk via State Transport bus terminus is expected to begin within a fortnight, according to the civic officials.
The Central Railway officials offered to hand over possession of its 350.97 sq mt of land near the main gate of Pune Railway Station, where a cycle stand is located at present, for road widening after noticing that the commuters entering the railway station were facing problems due to frequent congestions at the busy chowk.
After a series of meetings with the traffic police and railway officials, the civic administration has come up with a plan to ease the flow of traffic at the busy junction.
Besides the narrow roads, a traffic island at the chowk and dividers on the road linking Hotel Amir chowk with the Maldhakka chowk were identified as the main reasons causing bottleneck.
As per the new plan, the width of the road linking the main gate of Pune railway station with Maldhakka chowk will be increased to 27 mt from the present width of 15 mtrs.
A new entrance will be made for the Pune railway station near the Railway Mail Service office and a footpath will be constructed along the compound wall of the railway station. A hoarding at the main entrance of Pune railway station will also be relocated.
The civic administration will also break the dividers on the road linking the Hotel Amir chowk with the Maldhakka chowk at the chowk to provide a direct access for vehicles entering the railway station from Hotel Amir side. At present these vehicles are forced to cross the entire chowk before turning around the traffic island.
PMC considers construction of new Mandai, hawkers' zone
The civic administration is contemplating construction of a single-storied market at the new Mahatma Phule Mandai and a hawkers zone near Gotiram Bhaiyya Chowk on Shivaji Road to rehabilitate the vegetable vendors evicted from various roads in the vicinity.
The possibility of providing parking place for two-wheelers along the footpath surrounding the new mandai was also being considered, according to the Municipal Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad.
Gaikwad told reporters on Wednesday that he had already asked vendors to provide a list of those evicted from various roads during his recent anti-encroachment drive. Various measures would be adopted to rehabilitate the needy vendors after the list is provided, he added.
Gaikwad said he has already discussed the idea of creating a hawkers zone near Gotiram Bhaiyya Chowk with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Himmatrao Deshbhratar.
The civic administration was also considering the possibility of constructing an additional floor at the new mandai building, Gaikwad said. A parking lot was likely to be started at the space available near the Gotiram Bhaiyya chowk if an additional floor was constructed at the new mandai, he added.
Gaikwad said the possibility of shifting the Pune Municipal Transport bus terminus at Shanipar near the Zunka Bhakar Centre inside the Mandai was also being considered.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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