Wagholi Housing Societies Association (WHSA), representing 25,000 residents of the IVY Estate region of Wagholi, has approached the Bombay High Court challenging the failure of the administration to provide them proper road connecting to the main Pune-Ahmednagar road.
The residents had undertaken signature campaigns, regular meetings with legislators, corporators, municipal commissioners, and various office-bearers of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), and made many representations since 2014 to the authorities but no one was able to complete the access road of 600 metres to IVY Estate.
The development plan for Wagholi was prepared by the PMRDA and is under the process of being sanctioned by the urban development department. The entire connectivity from the IVY Estate neighbourhood is heavily dependent on the proposed road.
Over 5,000 flats have been already constructed and around 25,000 residents are living in the Ivy Estate region. The PMC and PMRDA have cited difficulty in acquiring land from private landowners for not constructing the road yet.
“Ivy road is one of those roads which has remained unconstructed for a decade and more. This is the only approach road for many citizens today and the population of the area grew by many folds in the last decade but the road continues to be in a shambles even at this time. The WHSA knocked on the doors of gram panchayat to zilla parishad to the PMRDA to the PMC over the past several years but none of them paid any heed to this legacy problem. The WHSA is left with no option but to approach the court to help us get our right to approach roads to our houses,” said Nitin Kumar Jain, director of the WHSA.
A PMC officer, meanwhile, said, “We have received the complaint of citizens and will take up the issue with the PMRDA as the area was under its jurisdiction. It came in the PMC limits a year ago. The PMRDA is the planning authority for the area as designated by the state government so any work will be taken up only after discussing with it.”
“For a population close to 25,000, to not have a legitimate road only shows negligence and raises serious questions on how the township which is fully completed now was allowed to expand over the years and get permissions from the administration. So, we have no choice but to fight this out in the right way for our basic demands,” said Santosh Krishna, another director of the WHSA.
Speaking on behalf of the petitioner, advocate Satya Muley said, “The local authorities have completely neglected the concerns and basic requirement of an access road of the residents of IVY Estate region. The fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India guarantees full enjoyment of life, which includes the right to the enjoyment of proper roads and streets. The Supreme Court has held the right to life includes civic amenities like roads etc. Without proper roads and streets, there is a hindrance for the population at large to exploit their full potential of life and as the WHSA and the residents of the IVY Estate region have exhausted all other remedies, they are moving the Bombay High Court to enforce their fundamental rights.”