Pune road turns into death trap with broken fibre poles

Vehicles heading towards Mayur Colony from Karve Road are having a tough time with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) failing to replace the broken fibre poles that act as lane dividers on the road.

The civic body’s alleged indifference is baffling as the city traffic police have requested it to replace the poles to prevent mishaps. “It’s dangerous for motorists to take a right turn towards Mayur Colony in absence of the dividers,” admitted police inspector (traffic) of Kothrud police station, RG Galande.

He told DNA that the traffic police have sent a letter to the regional ward office of the PMC, requesting them to set up the poles.

However, they are yet to be fixed, he said. The PMC officials could not be contacted for their comments.

Ironically, a standard X student, Atharva Sathye (15), was killed in an accident at that spot two years ago. He was a meritorious student. He was hit by a speeding Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus on September 27, 2009 and succumbed to head injuries at a hospital on October 1. He was attempting to take a turn towards Mayur Colony when the mishap took place.

The accident sparked off protests from the cycling fraternity. The Pune Cycle Pratishthan organised a protest cycle rally demanding steps to enhance safety of
cyclists.

The PMC authorities had set up poles to act as dividers so that people could take turn towards Mayur Colony without any fear of mishaps.

The residents demanded that the PMC immediately set up new pole dividers for the safety of the road users.

A college student of the area, Sanjay Shinde, told DNA that when a motorist halts on the Karve Road lane to turn, one fears that other vehicles could come on the lane.

Another local resident, Akshay Damle, said, “During the night, heavy traffic has been observed on the road. At that time, it is very dangerous to take a turn as most of the motorists are coming from other lanes because of absence of dividers,” he said, adding that the authorities are not serious about the issue.