Traffic movement was disrupted for some time as the cement structure was being broken, causing inconvenience to motorists and residents. Once the new concrete box is completed on the Shivajinagar side, a 3.4-metre-high iron barrier will be installed to prevent heavy vehicles from passing through the underpass. To avoid waterlogging in the underpass during the monsoon, the railway department will install a mud pump. Railway officials inspected the site on Monday in this regard.
Even after a new height barricade was installed at the Shivajinagar underpass, oversized vehicles including cranes and buses continue to pass through unchecked, raising serious safety concerns. A ground report by Lokmat Times found that large vehicles barely graze the barricade while passing, as traffic police personnel posted at the Deolai Chowk side watch on without intervening. In one instance, when a crane was observed passing through, a traffic constable on duty was heard telling the driver, "Go, baba, don't give us tension," allowing the oversized vehicle to pass without any action.
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Locals act, officials follow
The new barricade was installed only after residents, alarmed by repeated accidents at the Shivajinagar underpass, put up an unofficial low-height barrier to stop heavy vehicles. Authorities later removed the unauthorised structure and replaced it with an official one. "We acted, that's why they acted. Otherwise, the barricade would not have come for months," locals told Lokmat Times.
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Lights defunct, safety at risk
Over 25 lights inside the Shivajinagar underpass have remained non-functional for several days, leaving the stretch poorly lit. Despite repeated complaints from citizens, no corrective action has been taken.