Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) efforts to widen the roads in Koregaon Park and Mundhwa have hit a snag as the acquisition of necessary military land is still pending.
The Ministry of Defense has now proposed that the PMC either provide land of equivalent value or develop infrastructure in return for the required land. The PMC is currently evaluating its options and will soon communicate its decision to the Ministry.
The need for road expansion in Koregaon Park, Keshavnagar, and Mundhwa has been urgent due to increased traffic congestion caused by the presence of several key corporate offices, institutions, schools, colleges, and commercial activities in the area.
The narrow lanes, particularly between Koregaon Park's Lane Number Seven and Westin Chowk, as well as the road beyond Westin Chowk leading to Carnival Hotel, are notorious for causing traffic bottlenecks.
To alleviate this congestion, the PMC began a road-widening project in two phases. In the first phase, the 18-meter road from Lane Number Seven near two petrol pumps to Westin Chowk was expanded to 24 meters.
However, the narrow Bhairoba Nala Bridge at Westin Chowk remains a choke point, and the next phase will focus on widening the road from Carnival Hotel to Tadigutta Chowk from 18 meters to 30 meters.
One major roadblock remains: a 1-kilometer stretch of military land required for the expansion between ABC Farms Chowk and Tadigutta Chowk.
The PMC had requested this land on a lease basis—900 meters on one side and 100 meters on the other. However, the Ministry of Defense, through its Defense Estates Office, denied the lease request in November 2023.
The PMC is also eyeing military land for the road widening between Kalyani Pool Chowk and Tadigutta Chowk. Following recent correspondence from the Ministry of Defense, the matter has been escalated to PMC Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale, who is reviewing the land valuation and related terms.
The PMC’s final decision on whether to offer land or infrastructure in exchange will be conveyed to the Ministry soon.