Move Over Banglore, Here Comes Pune

Pune is the new capital of traffic snarls, rudely snatching this dubious distinction from Banglaore. I never knew it meant to be this when they talked about Pune's ambition is to upstage Bangalore. The traffic has been left to dogs, Maneka Gandhi please take notice.

Every arterial and peripheral road is choked. The down city areas had always made a strong case of choke-n-block, but what is more alarming are the entry points to the city. Within 100 meters from where city is suppose to end, traffic blockages start. To cross, a distance of a quarter of kilometer it takes more than half an hour.

Reason ? Myopic town planning, narrow entry roads, made worse by encroachment to the fullest, and who are doing these encroachments? The usual suspects like autowallahs, thelawallahs are only the small players. The biggest encroachers are Pune Municipal Transport(PMT) buses!

In the act of blatant flouting of rules, one third of PMT buses stand on the main thoroughfare instead PMT Depot at Kothrud, and Pune traffic department sleeps. Of course, there is no money to make there.

Last, but in no way least the traffic sense of the public, which believes in "see an inch, grab the inch". But then, the only progress will be exactly that - "an inch". Shortcuts never work.