Nagpur: A one-kilometre cement concrete road connecting LAD Square with Shraddhanandpeth via VNIT has remained in limbo for nearly six months, with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) unable to decide whether to proceed with the sanctioned project or redesign it as a ‘walkable street’ — a move that could require an additional Rs8 crore.Ironically, while 30 out of the 33 roads taken up under NMC’s ambitious Phase-IV cement road project are nearing completion, work on this crucial arterial stretch in South-West Nagpur has barely progressed beyond laying around a 300m stormwater drain network.The 1-km road, proposed to be converted from bituminous to cement concrete pavement, was designed with a carriageway width varying between 18m at two locations and 24m along the remaining stretch. Detailed drawings and estimates have been prepared.However, sources said the project hit a roadblock after city planners pushed for implementing a walkable street concept along the corridor. The proposal envisages wider footpaths, improved pedestrian infrastructure, and enhanced public spaces.But the vision appears to have collided with financial reality. Officials estimate that redesigning the road into a walkable street would require an additional Rs 8crore. With no dedicated budgetary provision available, the project has virtually come to a standstill.The delay has also reignited a debate over urban priorities in a corridor that already witnesses heavy traffic movement.Corporator Vijay Parashram Hole of Prabhag 13 (D), along with residents of Corporation Colony, Daga Layout, Abhyankar Nagar, Bajaj Nagar, Shraddhanandpeth and Shankar Nagar, have opposed the proposed widening of footpaths and reduction in carriageway width. In a representation submitted to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Hole argued that the road is one of the main connecting links to Hingna MIDC and carries heavy traffic, including school buses and autorickshaws.Residents warned that narrowing the carriageway could aggravate congestion, increase accident risks and encourage encroachments by hawkers. They cited the Abhyankar Nagar -Bajaj Nagar stretch as an example where a similar footpath-widening exercise allegedly turned into a nuisance and hotspot for illegal activities.With the monsoon knocking at the door, residents fear another season of dug-up roads and unfinished infrastructure.For now, NMC appears caught between an ambitious urban design experiment and a sanctioned road project awaiting execution. Unless additional funds are tied up quickly or the walkable street proposal is shelved, one of South-west Nagpur’s busiest corridors may remain trapped in planning paralysis while the rains test the city’s preparedness yet again.INFOBOX LAD-VNIT Cement ROAD PROJECT STUCKStretch: LAD Square to Shraddhanandpeth via VNITRoad width: 24m for most of stretch; narrows to 18m at 2 locationsRESIDENTS’ CONCERNS:Reduced carriageway width may worsen congestionRisk of hawker encroachmentsIncreased accident potential on busy MIDC-bound corridorMonsoon may further delay project execution
