Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A campaign to remove encroachments was launched on Thursday morning from Golwadi to Pandharpur village, along the main highway, as part of a joint effort by the state's additional director general of police (traffic), regional transport office (RTO), public works department, world bank project, and police administration.
Twenty days ago, notices were issued to the shopkeepers and the residents along this route, instructing them to remove their encroachments voluntarily. The actual drive began around 11.30 am on Thursday.
As the encroachment removal team, equipped with JCBs, hywa trucks, and officers, arrived at the scene, a rush began among the encroachers. However, the officers gave time for the shopkeepers to remove their belongings. Despite this, the permanent encroachments were demolished with the help of JCBs. The officers said that this drive will continue until the encroachments are cleared from Golwadi Phata to Old Kaygaon.
Today, the drive was implemented from Golwadi Phata to Pandharpur, clearing the road up to 7.5 meters from the divider. This road is 66 feet wide, and the officers said that encroachments up to 50 feet on both sides of the road will be removed.
A team of junior engineers from the World Bank Project included Harish Garje and Kanchan Padwal, junior engineers Akshay Tandale, Abhijit Choudhary, Raju Pachpute, Ganesh Raut, traffic branch’s police inspector Sachin Ingole and PSI Vithal Ghodeke, MIDC Waluj Police Station’s Jaikishan Chauthe and Mangesh Manore along with four home guards, among others participated in the drive.
Sequence of events
There has been a rise in accident incidents from Golwadi Phata to Kaygaon on the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Pune road. The industrial area up to Waluj experiences heavy traffic, especially during the evening, leading to traffic congestion and a series of accidents. Social activist Nitin Raut led a solitary struggle and follow-up on the matter. Hence taking cognizance, a thorough inspection of the sites was done. Later on, notices were served, and on Thursday, the actual encroachment removal campaign began.