A key one-kilometre road connecting LAD Square to Shraddhanandpeth via VNIT has been stuck in uncertainty for nearly six months, as the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) remains undecided on whether to execute the already sanctioned cement concrete road project or redesign it under a proposed ‘walkable street’ concept, a move expected to cost an additional Rs 8 crore.
The delay stands out at a time when 30 of the 33 roads being developed under NMC’s Phase-IV cement road project are nearing completion. On this important South-West Nagpur corridor, however, work has progressed only to the extent of laying nearly 300 metres of stormwater drainage infrastructure.
The project involves converting the existing bituminous road into a cement concrete stretch. Plans and estimates have already been prepared, with the road designed to have a width of 24 metres along most of the route, narrowing to 18 metres at two locations.
According to sources, the project ran into trouble after urban planners proposed transforming the corridor into a pedestrian-friendly walkable street. The concept includes wider footpaths, upgraded pedestrian facilities and improved public spaces aimed at enhancing walkability and urban aesthetics.
However, the proposal has raised financial concerns. Officials estimate that implementing the walkable street design would require an additional Rs 8 crore, for which no separate budget allocation has been made so far. As a result, the project has effectively come to a halt.
The prolonged delay has also sparked a debate over infrastructure priorities on one of the city’s busiest traffic corridors.
Corporator Vijay Parashram Hole from Prabhag 13(D), along with residents of Corporation Colony, Daga Layout, Abhyankar Nagar, Bajaj Nagar, Shraddhanandpeth and Shankar Nagar, has opposed the plan to widen footpaths at the cost of reducing the carriageway width.
In a representation submitted to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Hole stated that the road serves as a major link to Hingna MIDC and handles substantial traffic, including school buses, autorickshaws and daily commuters.
Residents have expressed concern that narrowing the roadway could worsen congestion, increase the risk of accidents and create space for hawker encroachments. They pointed to the Abhyankar Nagar-Bajaj Nagar stretch, where a similar footpath expansion exercise allegedly resulted in encroachments and other civic issues.
With the monsoon season approaching, locals fear the project may remain unfinished, leaving commuters to deal with dug-up roads and incomplete infrastructure during the rains.
For now, the NMC finds itself balancing an ambitious urban planning initiative against a sanctioned road project awaiting implementation. Unless additional funds are secured or the walkable street proposal is dropped, one of South-West Nagpur’s busiest corridors may continue to remain trapped in planning delays even as the monsoon tests the city’s infrastructure readiness.
Project Snapshot
• Stretch: LAD Square to Shraddhanandpeth via VNIT
• Length: Approximately 1 km
• Road Width: 24 metres across most of the stretch; 18 metres at two locations
• Additional Cost for Walkable Street Proposal: Rs 8 crore
Residents’ Key Concerns
• Reduced carriageway width could increase traffic congestion
• Higher possibility of hawker encroachments
• Greater accident risk on the busy MIDC-bound route
• Monsoon may further delay project completion
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