Pedestrians in danger at Pune's Fatimanagar

Lack of a proper pedestrian crossing has left the chowk near Big Bazaar at Fatimanagar on Pune-Solapur Road dangerous for pedestrians who have to cross the busy highway.

According to the local residents, mishaps take place there at regular intervals at that busy chowk. Three persons lost their lives there in the last one year. The latest victim was five-year-old Rama, who was killed on August 16 when a speeding tanker hit her and her mother Aruna Jagtap. The latter was critically injured.

While Rama died on the spot, Aruna is undergoing treatment at Sassoon General Hospital. “The duo should have been more cautious while crossing the road. They were crossing the road through the gap in the divider. But the bigger issue is that had there been a pedestrian crossing, the mishap would not have taken place,” recalled witnesses, adding that residents had approached the local corporator of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Abhijeet Shivarkar to set up a pedestrian crossing and footpaths at the chowk.

Shivarkar said he is seized of the issue, but part of the area falls within the jurisdiction of the Pune Cantonment Board and part under the PMC. “The infrastructure would be set up. We are trying to coordinate things between the two civic bodies,” he said.

The convener of Pedestrian First, Prashant Inamdar told DNA that civic bodies give scant importance to pedestrian safety while designing and making roads. “The pedestrian infrastructures on the roads are poorly constructed and there is no proper maintenance. Hence, the pedestrians are always at the receiving end while travelling on the city roads,” he said.