Pune: "I left home at 8pm for a 11pm flight. At around 9:45pm realised that the traffic won't allow me to reach the airport on time and so had to walk, run, hop on 2 motorbikes and request a rickshaw to finally drop me at the airport," tweeted Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra Spokesperson Kunal Tilak who was furious as he risked missing the flight on June 8, a day before he attended the swearing in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also Kothrud MLA Murlidhar Mohol.
In his tweet Tilak also lashed out at the Defence Ministry, saying "Major traffic congestion right from Sangamwadi, water logging and mismanagement has resulted into this mess. It is time the Defence Ministry is asked hard questions as to what exactly their problem is for the development of the Pune Airport region. We have been at their mercy for too long now. Consensus should be reached between the PMC, Maharashtra Government, Defence Ministry and Central Government."
Tilak was not the only one who suffered due to incessant rains for the last week in Pune. Hundreds of travelers had to travel to the airport by foot after getting off their vehicles due to the congestion. To add to the passenger woes, several flights were delayed and the DigiYatra counter at the airport was closed. Airport authorities have urged travelers to leave for their flights at least three and half hours prior to departure from home.
When it rains, traffic congestion intensifies on roads leading to the airport, causing frustration among citizens. However, there is negligence in addressing these issues. Meanwhile, traffic congestion is being addressed after the rainfall in the city. Citizens are stuck in traffic jams around Pune airport premises.
On Saturday evening too, due to heavy rainfall in the city, waterlogging occurred on roads leading to Pune International Airport and further causing inconvenience to citizens traveling by air.
Commuters heading towards the airport faced delays and ultimately rushed to catch their flights due to waterlogging on Sangamwadi, Bund Garden Road, and Gunjan Chowk areas. Heavy waterlogging caused a delay of one to two hours for passengers heading to the airport.