Pune: The missing link road near Eklavya College in Kothrud is likely to be completed by Sept-end, nearly three months after land was acquired for the same. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) acquired around 2,500 square feet of land in June. Local residents said the road has been closed to commuters for around four days. “The civic administration is levelling the land. The next work, like tarring, will be carried out soon. The new road is expected to be completed by the month-end,” said a senior official of PMC’s road department. Civic officials said this 100-metre-long road was declared in the 1987 development plan (DP), out of which around 20 metres were completed nearly a year ago. But the remaining work was pending due to non-availability of the land. After the land was acquired, lack of permission for tree cutting delayed construction and tarring of the road. “The missing link is very important. It reduces travel time for commuters, even when the road is in bad condition,” said Ashwini Pathak, a commuter from the area. Vehicles from Kothrud and Karve Road currently use Mahatma Society Road or Paud Road to reach Warje or Chandani Chowk. Once the missing link issue is resolved, people can directly reach Warje and Chandani Chowk without navigating through other roads. Civic data shows there are 459km of missing links in the city. As many as 678 links need to be repaired, out of which 33 links have been taken up on priority, and six completed. “Special efforts are being taken to complete the road links at the earliest. The administration has joined hands with other authorities like the district administration and state revenue department to speed up land acquisition,” said Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of PMC’s road department.
