Police ban heavy vehicles at Pune’s Gangadham Chowk from 6am-11pm after accident death

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Pune: Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Thursday said heavy vehicles would be banned between 6am and 11pm on a temporary basis and height barriers soon installed in the accident-prone Gangadham Chowk area. Kumar said this after reviewing the traffic situation at the Gangadham Chowk a day after a woman, Deepali Soni (29), riding pillion on a scooter died and her father-in-law, Jagdish Soni (61), was injured as a truck hit their two-wheeler at the busy junction on Gangadham-Shatrunjay road — a stretch banned for heavy vehicles. The truck, which was coming from Market Yard, was not supposed to move towards the Aai Mata temple as heavy vehicles are banned on Gangadham-Shatrunjay road. Besides banning movement of heavy vehicles on the Gangadham-Shatrunjay Mandir road, the police also announced similar restrictions on the Lullanagar-Gangadham Chowk-Bibvewadi Road between 6am and 11pm. Movement of heavy vehicles was also banned on the Seven Loves Chowk-Gangadham Chowk stretch. “We do not want any heavy vehicle to cross the Gangadham Chowk during these hours. A notification in this regard will be issued soon,” Kumar said.

Residents of the Gangadham area said Wednesday’s was not the first fatal accident at the busy crossing. Exactly a year ago, a woman (59) was killed and her daughter-in-law (37) was critically injured after a dumper truck had hit their scooter near Gangadham Chowk. Following this, police on June 22 last year introduced a ban on heavy vehicles on two roads leading to the Gangadham Chowk on Bibwewadi-Kondhwa Road from 7am to 10pm.The two roads begin from Shatrunjay Temple and Tilekarnagar Chowk and converge at Aai Mata Mandir road and further to Gangadham Chowk. Trucks, cement mixers, dumpers and all types of multi-axle commercial transport vehicles (barring emergency, essential services and public transport vehicles) were banned then on the stretch. The latest accident occurred as the truck driver violated the ban, police said. “We know that there are many construction activities in the area, and ready-mix cement trucks, dumper trucks and other heavy vehicles regularly use the Gangadham Chowk. These vehicles will also not be allowed to cross the Gangadham Chowk,” said Kumar, who was accompanied by joint police commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma and additional commissioner of police Manoj Patil.“Moreover, there are vegetable shops and godowns at the Market Yard. Godown and shops operating without govt approvals and licences will be sealed. We will also consult the city fire brigade and ambulance association before installing the height barriers,” the police commissioner said. “The area has a number of liquor shops and bars. We will serve notices under the Bombay Police Act to the ones close to schools. If they fail to provide satisfactory answers, their licences. People cannot consume alcohol near roads and cause nuisance to other road users,” he said.Police will also focus on ways to better the traffic arrangements at the crossing. “Our team will undertake traffic improvement at the junction and prepare a plan to improve mobility and safety. We will remove all encroachments. The Aai Mata Mandir Road has a steep slope towards Gangadham Chowk. We will again discuss the issue with PMC and work on reducing the gradient. It will require engineering solutions. We will review the situation at the chowk after a week,” he said.