The Chandani Chowk flyover, designed to reduce traffic at the congested Chandani Chowk crossroads—which links several significant roads, including the Mumbai-Bangalore bypass and the Bavdhan, NDA, Pashan, Mulshi, and Paud roads—has a major design flaw.
Pedestrians complain that they have to risk their lives to cross the highway. The proposal to construct a Foot Over Bridge (FOB) in July this year by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is still pending despite regular follow-ups from residents.
Chaitanya Ket, a resident of Kothrud who commutes from Kothrud to Hinjewadi, said, “The construction of this bridge is a major design flaw. The flyover was designed by people from IIT, but pedestrians have highlighted the flaws in the design. The authorities should have conducted a thorough structural audit before approving any big projects, as it is a complete waste of people’s money. After residents highlighted the issue, PMC, along with the Centre, proposed to construct an FOB, but even after 1.5 years of the inauguration of the bridge, the problem remains the same.”
“With no FOB, currently people either have to walk 2-3 kms or cross the highway, risking their lives,” added Ket.
Demand for sound barriers
A resident of Bavdhan, Manisha Deo, said, “For the past few months, we have been regularly following up with PMC. They even proposed the construction of an FOB, but no sign of construction for walkways, footpaths, or an FOB below the Chandani Chowk flyover has been seen. We demanded that the civic authorities install sound barriers, as residents living near the highway are constantly exposed to vehicular noise. The Mumbai highway has sound barriers installed, but we haven’t received them here.”
Dushyant Bhatia, a resident of Bavdhan and founder and director of the Bavdhan Citizen Forum, said, “For over a year and a half, people have been crossing the highway, risking their lives, as the bus stop for people traveling to Mumbai is on the other side. We have sent many letters to the authorities requesting them to construct an FOB and have been constantly following up with them, but our issues are completely neglected. Recently, they sanctioned money for installing a statue there. I’m not against beautification, but the authorities should have their priorities clear. The FOB is a priority, as people are risking their lives every day to reach the other side of the highway. People’s lives and time should be valued and prioritized.”
The flyover was built by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and initiated by PMC. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the flyover on August 12, 2023. The project has faced hurdles ever since its inauguration.
