Widening of Airport 'VIP' Road
Pune: The VIP road connecting Lohegaon airport and used exclusively for VIPs will be widened. For this, the Defence Department has provided about six metres of space on both sides of the road.
The PMC has started work on the site. Work is going on at a fast pace as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Pune for the assembly elections.
The problem of traffic congestion on the city road has become serious. The problem of traffic congestion also continues in the vicinity of Lohegaon airport.
As traffic congestion on the roads connecting Lohegaon airport increases, the CIVIC body is making efforts to construct new roads in the area and widen existing ones. But it has not yet received funding.
The nearly 2.5-km stretch from the airport to Wakefield Chowk is known as the VIP route. The President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, other leaders and other important people come to Pune using this route.
The road is currently six metres wide. There is about three meters of open space on both sides of the road, followed by a high boundary wall on both sides. If this open space is given to the PMC, the road can be widened.
The administration had initiated a follow-up. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Pune to campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Civic officials inspected the road to mark the occasion. At that time, he asked the Air Force officials to provide land for the road. It has been approved.
Grass has grown on both sides of the VIP route, where a large number of stones and boulders have fallen. The area looks unclean as it is being raided at night.
After the PMC gets permission to work, efforts are being made to level this part of the road. The work of lifting stones and removing grass has started. If this raw road is levelled, it will help in the smooth flow of daily traffic.
The VIP road is about 2.5 km long. There is three metres of space each on either side of it. It is currently a six-metre road. With this space, the road could be made another six metres longer.
The defence department had initiated a follow-up to hand over the land along the VIP road to the BMC. Since it has been approved, the BMC has started work.
At present, the work of removing grass, soil and stones is going on and bringing the road to level will ease traffic to some extent. After some time, asphalt will be done there, said Anirudh Pawaskar, Head, Road Department, Pune Municipal Corporation.
