Locals irked at closure of a connecting road; detour causes major traffic jams in area

If President Pratibha Patil's visit left Baner and Aundh road inaccessible to the public for three days, it is now the turn of residents living on the road connecting Circuit House Road and Sir Manekji Road Queen's Garden.

The road is home to the Commissioner of Police and has been closed to public for the last 15 days.

A public interest appeal was filed by Suresh M Talera of Talera Group of Hotels, alleging that the road was blocked "for security reasons". The petition also had a signature campaign signed by 26 prominent people in the area. The petition stated, "Recently one saw the conversion of the Police Commissioner headquarters into a fortress".

MiD DAY spoke to Jai Shah, who heads the legal department of Talera Group, as Suresh Talera was out of station. He said, "This throws traffic out of gear and people travelling to Koregaon Park, Income Tax Colony and other areas are inconvenienced. Also, there's chaos on Sir Manekji Mehta road and Circuit House road. It's really a problem for the public."

Hirak Shah, an architect who stays in Rasta Peth said, "Travelling has become difficult now. It was a good link between the station and areas like Koregaon Park and Mundhwa. But now, it is totally blocked. They did not give any intimation at all."

Ramesh Bhonsle, a traffic cop Bund Garden Road said, "I don't know the reason. The commissioner may have got a threat."

However, PI Vijay Palsule, who oversees traffic planning in the city, said, "This road has been closed for security reasons. But the locals who stay there can use it."