Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Square near Ajni Railway Station has emerged as a chronic traffic bottleneck, with repeated regulatory measures by authorities failing to deliver relief. For several years, congestion at this junction has persisted, and officials maintain that only the completion of the new Railway Over Bridge (RoB) will offer a permanent solution. However, interim traffic arrangements continue to unravel on the ground. Earlier, authorities installed barricades to block the right turn towards Congress Nagar Square for vehicles approaching from Medical Square. The restriction was introduced to streamline movement, but its impact remained marginal.

 

The situation worsened after additional barricades were placed on the Kriplani Square approach road, diverting traffic towards Congress Nagar Square. The move has produced a domino effect. Vehicles travelling towards Medical Square are now compelled to take a U-turn near Shivaji Science College, resulting in long queues and frequent standstills. “We are forced to take a U-turn after waiting for 15 to 20 minutes. The diversion saves no time and only adds confusion,” said a daily commuter from Congress Nagar. Another motorist remarked, “The barricades have shifted the congestion instead of reducing it. Earlier, one junction was choked. Now, three roads are blocked at the same time.” Traffic moving from Congress Nagar Square towards Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar Square has also slowed dramatically. Peak-hour movement has become erratic, with vehicles inching forward in short bursts.

 

“This stretch takes five minutes on a clear day. Now it takes half an hour,” said a private hospital employee who crosses the junction twice daily. Commuters allege that the absence of proper planning, poor signage, and limited deployment of traffic personnel have aggravated the problem. “Barricades are put up overnight without thinking about traffic flow. No one explains the logic,” said another resident. With the RoB still under construction, commuters argue that fragmented, reactive measures are intensifying congestion. Without a coordinated traffic management plan for the Ajni–Congress Nagar–Medical Square corridor, temporary solutions appear to be compounding disruption rather than resolving it.