PUNE: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has expressed disappointment over the inordinate delay in completing the concreting work of the road connecting Chandni Chowk and Tamhini Ghat section.
“The contractor carrying out the work is not efficient, because of which the concreting work is getting delayed. We cannot afford to blacklist the contractor too as the project will then run into a legal hassle, delaying the project further.I will pursue the issue with the authorities to complete the project at the earliest,” the deputy chief minister said during his visit Mulshi taluka on Saturday. He was there to address his party workers.
The road from Chandni Chowk to Tamhini Ghat section passes through Mulshi taluka and is used by commuters to travel to Konkan. Its concreting work has been going on for many years now.
Pawar said the road stretches where the work had been completed were of inferior quality too. “The work is of inferior quality. When I travelled on the stretch where work is completed, I could feel that it is not up to the mark,” the deputy CM said.
The road is the key link for the residents of Mulshi wishing to reach Pune city limits. “Had this project been carried out by the state govt, I would have made sure that it was completed within the stipulated timeframe. Since the project is being carried out by the NHAI [National Highways Authority of India], I will pursue the issue with the central govt,” Pawar said.
The residents of Mulshi taluka blamed the ongoing work for traffic congestion in the area, especially during the peak morning and evening hours. Ramesh Sanas, one of the regular commuters on the stretch, said, “We often observe heavy traffic during the weekends when people travel between Pune and Konkan. Some unfinished road patches are proving to be dangerous for the commuters, exposing them to risk of accident.”
The commuters using the road to visit places like Dapoli in Konkan said the travel time had increased due to the unfinished work. Ajit Samant, one of the frequent travellers to the Konkan region, said, “The road up to the Tamhini Ghat is not at all up to the mark. There are several patches where motorists have to drive at less than 30 kilometres per hour because of the unfinished work. Traveling on that road at night is a nightmare. It has been several years that the road work has been going on, but we still do not know when it will finish.”
TOI tried contacting Sanjay Kadam, project director of NHAI, but even after repeated attempts, he was not available for comments.
“The contractor carrying out the work is not efficient, because of which the concreting work is getting delayed. We cannot afford to blacklist the contractor too as the project will then run into a legal hassle, delaying the project further.I will pursue the issue with the authorities to complete the project at the earliest,” the deputy chief minister said during his visit Mulshi taluka on Saturday. He was there to address his party workers.
The road from Chandni Chowk to Tamhini Ghat section passes through Mulshi taluka and is used by commuters to travel to Konkan. Its concreting work has been going on for many years now.
Pawar said the road stretches where the work had been completed were of inferior quality too. “The work is of inferior quality. When I travelled on the stretch where work is completed, I could feel that it is not up to the mark,” the deputy CM said.
The road is the key link for the residents of Mulshi wishing to reach Pune city limits. “Had this project been carried out by the state govt, I would have made sure that it was completed within the stipulated timeframe. Since the project is being carried out by the NHAI [National Highways Authority of India], I will pursue the issue with the central govt,” Pawar said.
The residents of Mulshi taluka blamed the ongoing work for traffic congestion in the area, especially during the peak morning and evening hours. Ramesh Sanas, one of the regular commuters on the stretch, said, “We often observe heavy traffic during the weekends when people travel between Pune and Konkan. Some unfinished road patches are proving to be dangerous for the commuters, exposing them to risk of accident.”
The commuters using the road to visit places like Dapoli in Konkan said the travel time had increased due to the unfinished work. Ajit Samant, one of the frequent travellers to the Konkan region, said, “The road up to the Tamhini Ghat is not at all up to the mark. There are several patches where motorists have to drive at less than 30 kilometres per hour because of the unfinished work. Traveling on that road at night is a nightmare. It has been several years that the road work has been going on, but we still do not know when it will finish.”
TOI tried contacting Sanjay Kadam, project director of NHAI, but even after repeated attempts, he was not available for comments.