Pune Residents Spend 152 Hours in Traffic Every Year; Raghav Chadha Demands ‘National Decongestion Mission’
PUNE: In a scathing assessment of urban infrastructure, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has highlighted Pune as one of the most traffic-congested cities in India, revealing that an average commuter in the city spends a staggering 152 hours caught in traffic every year.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader emphasized that the gridlock in major metros has reached a breaking point, transforming arterial roads into “extended parking lots.”
The Economic and Mental Toll
Chadha presented data showing that Pune’s congestion levels are among the highest in the country, surpassed only by Bengaluru (168 hours). To put this in perspective, Pune residents lose more than six full days per year sitting idle in traffic—higher than Mumbai (126 hours), Delhi (114 hours), and Kolkata (110 hours).
“This is not just an inconvenience; it is a massive economic loss,” Chadha stated. “People are attending Zoom meetings and finishing office work while stuck in their cars because the traffic simply isn’t moving.”
He further noted that the crisis leads to:
- Productivity Loss: Vital work hours are wasted in transit.
- Environmental Damage: Increased fuel wastage and rising pollution levels.
- Health Impact: A direct decline in the quality of life due to heightened stress and frustration.
Surge in Private Vehicles
Highlighting the root cause, Chadha pointed out that approximately 2.5 crore new vehicles were registered in India last year, the majority of which were private cars. He argued that without a shift in strategy, the sheer volume of vehicles would continue to outpace current infrastructure.
Call for a National Mission
The MP urged the Central Government to launch a ‘National Urban Decongestion Mission’ specifically for Tier-1 and Tier-2 metros. The proposed mission focuses on four key pillars:
- Robust Public Transport: Moving away from private vehicle dependency.
- Smart Traffic Management: Utilizing technology to streamline flow.
- Scientific Parking Policies: Addressing the bottleneck caused by haphazard parking.
- Focused Action Plans: Creating city-specific strategies to clear “choke points.”
“If our cities remain stuck in traffic jams, our economy will never be able to reach the fast lane,” Chadha concluded. For Pune residents currently battling daily snarls at Hinjewadi, Baner, and the Peth areas, the MP’s demand reflects a growing urgency for a permanent solution to the city’s mobility crisis.
