In the last nine months, from January to September 2024, 68 people (63 men and five women) lost their lives on the Pune-Nagar road, which has become a death trap due to the speed of dumpers and other heavy vehicles .

On Sunday, October 6, a 32-year-old woman, who was riding a bike, was crushed to death by a speeding dumper on Ahmednagar Road even as her husband, who was riding a bike, was seriously injured. Before that, on September 24, a 23-year-old engineer also lost his life on the same road. According to the Pune Traffic Police, more than 100 people die in accidents on Nagar Road every year. This year, 68 people died in over 150 accidents on this road in the last nine months from January to September, according to Pune traffic police records. So much so that residents and commuters are now reluctant to cross Nagar Road.

Swati Gandhi, a local resident, said, “We are now very afraid of traveling on Nagar Road and there is constant fear of speeding heavy vehicles. Often our children are with us, which worries us even more.

The Ahmednagar Road section from Viman Nagar Chowk to Khandve Nagar comes under the Airport Police Station while the section from Khandve Nagar to Perne Phata comes under the Lonikand Police Station. This year, 11 people lost their lives in 79 accidents occurring within the airport police station limits, while 54 men and nine women lost their lives in accidents occurring within the Lonikand police station limits. During the accident on October 6, the dumper was traveling (speeding) on ​​Nagar Road despite the ban on heavy goods vehicles between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Amol Zende, deputy commissioner of police, said, “We have now increased the number of traffic police monitoring traffic during peak hours. In addition, strict measures are taken against dumpers and heavy vehicles operating during prohibited hours.