₹5 crore likely to go waste due to a mistake by PWD

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Construction of the Rajmata Jijau gateway is currently underway on Jalna Road, en route from Chikalthana to Cambridge Chowk. This project, costing ₹5 crore, is being executed by the Public Works Department (PWD). The construction falls within the 60-meter road widening zone from Mukundwadi to Cambridge Chowk, which has raised serious concerns.

Despite this area being marked for road expansion, the PWD, allegedly under political pressure, began constructing the gateway without any official correspondence or clearance from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC). This has led to strong criticism, especially when common citizens have lost their homes due to the same widening project, while the PWD department themselves is being accused of violating norms.

Gateway work under progress

Even as the CSMC actively clears encroachments along Jalna Road, the gateway structure continues to expand contradicting the very spirit of the road Development Plan.

Questions are being raised about how such construction escaped the attention of superintendent engineer S S Bhagat and executive engineer Ashok Yerekar (retired on June 30). The newly appointed engineer Sheshrao Chavan now faces pressure to review or reverse the project.

Future flyover poses a threat to the gateway

A flyover is proposed at Cambridge Chowk, where the gateway is being built. Initially, there was confusion even within the PWD — with the regular division blaming the CSMC, only to later admit the PWD itself was responsible.

Senior civic officials warn that the gateway’s current design does not account for the 60-meter width of the future Jalna Road. If the road is widened further or the flyover materialises, the gateway will need to be demolished. This could result in ₹5 crore of public funds being wasted.

Will engineers be held accountable?

Citizens affected by the road expansion are now questioning whether responsible engineers will be held liable for this misstep. If the gateway must be demolished in the near future, will the cost of Rs 5 crore be recovered from the officials involved? This has become a central issue for those who lost their homes for the same development initiative.