Nagpur: Hundreds of Kapsi residents led by former ZP member Dinesh Dhole staged a protest on Bhandara Road near Umiya Gate, citing severe traffic problems caused by long-pending infrastructure projects. Residents said ongoing construction had resulted in daily gridlocks, with trucks queuing for more than an hour and accidents becoming frequent.“The traffic problem has grown so severe in the last fortnight that we witnessed traffic jams which went up to 8 km. Our demand is clear that until the alternative traffic arrangement is complete and the jam is resolved, we will not allow construction work to resume. This is the firm decision of all activists and citizens here,” Dhole said.Dhole said this was the third such protest in the past few months over road conditions and traffic problems. “The unplanned construction work is continuing for months. They are digging up anywhere, and during monsoon things become worse,” he claimed.He further claimed that nearly two dozen major accidents had occurred in the area in the past 18 months.Residents said the daily gridlock had made it difficult to reach workplaces, schools and hospitals on time, with no usable alternative route in place. Protesters said construction should not continue until adequate arrangements were made to ensure smooth movement of vehicles and improve the diversion route.Dhole also raised concerns over pollution caused by the construction. “If vehicles, especially heavy vehicles, move at a snail’s pace, the air pollution goes up. This has become a nightmare and nobody is taking this seriously; they are playing with lives of residents,” Dhole said.
