Is demolishing this Vetal Hill necessary for a short- term&traffic congestion solution? The Pune Municipal Corporations three proposed road development projects have been red-flagged for the detrimental impact that they might have on the ecology of Vetal Tekdi (Hill), leading to protests by several groups. Environmentalists, activists and pressure groups in the city have analysed impact studies and predicted outcomes to buttress their claim that the projects would not lead to any tangible benefits for the people, and instead destroy the bio-diversity of the area. The PMC’s plan to curb traffic congestion in Pune City led it to propose three road development projects: the Bal Bharati Paud Phata surface road on Law College hill slope, the High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) elevated road, and tunnel roads from Panchavati which exit at Sutardhara and Gokhalenagar. ‘With Only 15% Likely Reduction in Congestion, Is it Worth It?’ Protests have been organised against the projects by organisations such as the Deccan Gymkhana Parisar Samiti and Save Pune Traffic Movement. The latter’s director, Harshad Abhyankar, said, “The primary objective of PMC’s road project is to reduce the congestion on Law College Road. Even though the PMC appointed consultants to analyse vehicular counts and study traffic congestion, they did not draw concrete conclusions. If only 13-14% of people are likely to take this road and there’s only a 15% reduction in traffic congestion, is constructing the road worth it?” He pointed out that traffic congestion in Pune could instead be curbed by the development of the metro that has a substantial network. The bus services in the city could also be revamped to become more efficient. “Focus on the emergence of e-buses, build bus stops with shades and set up a good network. It will encourage more citizens to take up public transport,” he suggested. ‘Dubious Benefits’ A citizen-led movement active online against the PMC’s plans, ‘Save Vetal Tekdi’ has critically reviewed two studies carried out by the PMC – an environmental impact study and a traffic congestion study. The conclusions from the former have indicated that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the Law College Road is similar to that of other busy roads in Pune, and constructing the Balbharati Road would actually increase the AQI at Kanchan Lane. Meanwhile, the latter study’s conclusions have indicated that few commuters are likely to benefit from the road development, and it will only end up being a short-term solution for 12 to 15 years. “Is it worth wasting Rs 150 crore of public money, not to mention the irreversible impact on groundwater and bio-diversity for a road with dubious benefits?” asked Sushma Date, an environment activist and one of the organisers of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign, another initiative that has protested against the road projects. Defining Development With the PMC calling the protests “anti-development”, Abhyankar emphasised on the need for certain natural resources in the city to be out of bounds for ‘development’, so as to conserve the ecosystem. “Constructing something sophisticated by spending crores of rupees is not the definition of ‘development’. The benefits and outcomes are determining factors,”he said. The Chronicle attempted to reach out to VG Kulkarni, the Road Department Head from the PMC, but did not get a quote from him regarding the issue.
10 Oct 2022
Pranoti Abhyankar
