Residents of three housing societies in Pune’s Wadgaon Sheri-Kalyani Nagar area may regain two-wheeler access after landowner Satish Mulik agreed in principle to allow motorcycles through a disputed route until the Pune Municipal Corporation completes an alternative development plan road.
The interim arrangement emerged from a meeting involving Mulik, residents and elected representatives after the access road was dug up and blocked at night earlier this week. The closure disrupted movement for families living in La Gloriosa, Silicon Bay and Nyati Enchante, who said the route had been used for nearly 15 years.
A resident quoted in the report said the meeting had produced an assurance for two-wheeler access and that residents would now follow up with PMC officials to ensure the DP road was completed on an immediate basis. The arrangement has not yet been finalised, and further discussions among the stakeholders are expected over the next three to four days.
The proposed interim access would help residents who depend on two-wheelers for daily travel, but it would not resolve access issues for cars, school vans and other larger vehicles. Residents had also raised concerns about the impact of the closure on senior citizens, children and people requiring medical assistance.
Mulik said the discussions were still at an early stage and that he had placed certain conditions before the other parties. He said further discussions were required and that the stakeholders would arrive at a positive outcome in the coming three to four days.
The dispute centres on ownership and the future use of the route. Mulik has maintained that the land belongs to his family and is intended for development. He has also said that a separate 80-foot road along the river is available to the housing societies and is already being used. Residents, however, have continued to identify the disputed route as an important access point for their homes.
The issue has placed the implementation of the alternative DP road at the centre of the dispute. Local corporator Narayan Galande said the immediate task was to convert the assurance into a workable arrangement and ensure that PMC completed the alternative road without delay. He added that temporary two-wheeler access would not address the daily commuting needs of all families.
About 450 families live in the three affected societies. The next discussions are expected to determine the conditions for interim access, while follow-up with PMC officials will focus on the completion timeline for the proposed DP road.
