Businesses clogged along Metro route
   Date :27-May-2019

 A view of the maze at Ajni Square where frontage of Cotton Complex is blocked out due to ongoing construction of Metro station building. (Pic by Anil Futane)
 
By Sagar Mohod:
 
When dreams get big, vision often gets blurred, they say. That’s precisely is the current situation of the city today on the sidelines of execution of ambitious Maha Metro project. In its bid to showcase grandness, Metro has obscured one landmark after another all along its route. Take the example of Wardha Road, one of the hottest properties of town, the road touch properties commanded heavy premium till work began for rolling out Metro project.
 
 
 A narrow strip of road is left for road users due as Jaiprakash Nagar station building gets extended onto highway stretch at Radisson Hotel Square. (Pics by Anil Futane)
 
Today however the mega project has more or less destroyed prime frontage on the road putting businessmen and common citizens in a very very tight spot. Till the work lay centered of the road where pillars were constructed no one had inkling of coming disaster. But as work began on station buildings, the highway’s stretch is now clogged up and traffic jams are witnessed at many spots within municipal limits. All along the route the Metro stations have gobbled up road’s shoulder that is one of the important parts of road engineering. Due to this vehicles have to pass through shrunk space, avoiding dashing onto vehicle ahead or those moving by sideways.
 
 The sight at Somalwada Metro station that has obscured frontage of Udyan Complex on Wardha Road. (Right) Access to NIT Complex, opp. Cotton Complex, is barely available as they are blocked out of view by Metro’s work.
 
Driving through the maze created by Metro’s ongoing work has become a daily adventure for the road users due to lurking dangers at many spots. However what hits one’s eye is the way Metro stations are shaping up on the Wardha Road, they have branched out into private properties due to which the prime frontage that these commercial properties had once are gone forever today. At Ajni Square one can see for oneself the damage done due to Ajni Station building to existing buildings that once stood majestically. Pillars for station building right next to lane of Mount Carmel School and extend upto NIT’s complex till Cotton Complex Square, blanking out the view for those having their chambers facing the road. Two well-known brands of city, Haldiram and Ajit Bakery outlets at the junction are facing the brunt of ongoing construction that is lingering since last two years. While Haldiram just managed to save itself from getting blocked out of the sight of passers-by, for Ajit Bakery however it is a challenge to stay put on ground as station is going to box it out.
 
One can barely see the narrow opening left for Ajit Bakery as massive pillars have come up at its expense on the small open space that once existed on front side of the building. Same is the case with Rohera Arcade from where the pillars of a sky walk being built for reaching onto Southern side of Metro station that is coming up on open space besides the building. Such is the height of these pillars that everything besides it automatically is bound to get diminished and hence some of the shops are forced to shut down their business. This is visible in the NYK Towers and on ground floor one can see that shops have downed their shutters as access is cluttered with construction material lying all along the site making it even difficult to walk into the building.
 
More of such sights are visible at Ajni Square, one more being Cotton Complex whose front side has become invisible ever since station work started. Since last two years this has been the situation and the owners who invested heavily in their business are left wondering about their future that currently is not very rosy. Similarly, such conditions exists on other side where businessmen in NIT Complex too do not know how to run their businesses given that entry-exit itself is barely visible due to ongoing construction process with which comes dust and noise in ample quantities.
 
For road users negotiating from Ajni Square poses several problems as Metro has put in barricades to regulate traffic. Due to ongoing construction the traffic from Chhattrapati Square is diverted from the road behind Cotton Complex building and ahead onto Rahate Square. But road users wanting to move towards Dev Nagar and adjoining localities have to take quite a long detour as right turn from Ajni Square is blocked. Moving ahead the double decker bridge landing near Mahindra’s showroom near Vivekanand Square has again reduced the road width to barely single lane through which heavy traffic has to regulate. This is just the indication of things to come as in future unless adjoining frontage of residential and commercial complex is acquired on this 25 metre stretch, road users are going face problems aplenty.
 
Just after negotiating the Chhattrapati Square as one heads towards Radisson Hotel Square the two Metro station buildings seems to have extended onto road putting users at risk. This is visible on opposite side of Navbharat building and more profoundly at Radisson Square forcing vehicle drivers to slow down as road width is substantially reduced. One more problematic site is Somalwada station where the building has demolished peace and tranquility of residents of Udyan Complex that once was very much visible but today it is forced to take a second seat due to Metro. Sizeable front space of this commercial-cum-residential complex is eaten up by Metro station building leaving the businesses to down shutter as it is very much impossible to even sit inside the chambers. For residents also the ongoing work has become dangerous and more so for two independent houses adjoining the complex and their entire frontage is dug out to make way for Metro station. At the end of the Metro route near Airport Square three private buildings are again in firing line for the station building. The building that housed Mother’s Pet Kindergarten, a play school, seems to have closed down as one can see massive pillars are coming up inside the compound of the property. Two flat schemes adjoining the school seem to have been hit by Metro’s work as their visibility from road is blocked making them redundant, notwithstanding proximity to station.