PMC & MSRTC tell Maha Metro to finish ongoing works at Swargate Chowk

Pune: The civic administration and MSRTC have told Maha Metro to expedite pending works in the Swargate Chowk area. Despite the underground Metro station opening in Oct 2024, unfinished entry and exit points, as well as a subway, continue to exacerbate daily traffic congestion in the area.
People face a lot of trouble crossing the chowk and reaching the MSRTC bus terminus during rush hours because of slow vehicular movement.Commuters said barricades installed in front of the entry-exit gate of the MSRTC bus terminus hamper the traffic, slowing down the movement of buses.
Amit Mahajan, who travelled from Swargate Chowk to Dhankawadi on Saturday evening, complained of significant chaos outside the MSRTC bus terminuson Satara Road. "Almost everyone, including pedestrians, MSRTC, PMPML and Metro passengers, face huge risk at the chowk because of unregulated movement of vehicles. We expect some improvement in vehicular movement after the commencement of Metro stations," Mahajan said.
Civic officials said they told Metro authorities to finish pending works in the next two months, before the onset of summer vacations, and remove barricades. "We have not been able to reorganise the movement of PMPML buses because of unfinished works near the Metro station's entry-exit gates," an official said.
The MSRTC and PMPML buses are affected the most as they face delays because of the chaotic traffic. "Entering and getting out of the terminus has become a major challenge for buses," an MSRTC official said.
The Maha Metro is constructing a subway to connect the Metro station to the MSRTC bus terminus. The barricades are installed on the main road to assist this work. As per the plan, commuters will not have to come to the main road to switch between MSRTC-Metro-PMPML services once the subway becomes operational.