After being elected, Member of Parliament Nilesh Lanke immediately started working, and Member of the Legislative Assembly Sangram Jagtap initiated road development projects worth ₹150 crores with great enthusiasm. For this, both deserve congratulations on behalf of the citizens of Ahmednagar. They have taken it upon themselves to solve a pressing issue through road development, which should bring an end to the negative news about roads in the newspapers. Students will safely reach their schools and colleges, accidents due to vehicles suddenly falling into potholes during the monsoon will stop, and repair costs for vehicles will decrease. Citizens will find relief from the back and waist pains caused by bad roads. Many problems are expected to be resolved through these road development works.
Now, the citizens hope that the honorable MP, MLA, the local councilors, municipal administration, and district administration will also pay attention to some other issues. Let’s briefly discuss these issues.
Issue of the (Tamtam) Rickshaw Drivers – The Tamtam rickshaw drivers in Ahmednagar act as if they have purchased all the roads. Even if passengers are standing anywhere, these Tamtam rickshaw drivers suddenly stop in the middle of the road to pick them up. As a result, the vehicles behind them have to suddenly swerve to avoid colliding with the Tamtam rickshaw, leading to accidents. Therefore, it is essential to designate specific stops for these Tamtam rickshaw drivers. Additionally, it is crucial that they wear uniforms.
Issue of School Buses – In the mornings from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM and in the evenings from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, school buses of various colors like yellow, white, and blue can be seen speeding through the city, especially in the suburbs. These school buses belong to different schools, have different sizes, and follow different routes for the convenience of students and parents. As a result, these buses dominate the roads during these hours. Whether these school buses adhere to all RTO rules or blatantly disregard them is a matter of investigation. These school buses should be allowed to operate only on the main roads in the suburbs. They should be completely prohibited from entering the inner roads. Their speed should be controlled. The drivers should not have mobile phones, and each school bus must have an assistant staff member from the respective school who should have a mobile phone with GPS tracking. Schools violating RTO rules should be banned from providing bus services for the next five years.
Issue of Reckless Bikers – Even more troublesome than school buses and rickshaws are the reckless bikers who have been a nuisance for the citizens for years. They blare their horns at deafening volumes and race on the roads as if they own them. Ordinary citizens are afraid to confront them because their bikes often carry intimidating warnings with names like Kaka, Bhayya, Nete, etc. Now, what can our representatives do about this issue? It is a natural question. But there is a solution. Often, for occasions like birthdays or the start of some work, there are four or more congratulatory flex boards placed at the same junction. The workers whose faces are displayed alongside the MLA/MP on these flex boards should be tasked with “explaining” things to these reckless bikers. This approach will surely make a significant difference, and citizens will put up congratulatory flex boards for the workers who ensure safety at each junction.
Issue of the Vegetable Market – This is a major issue in Ahmednagar city and the suburbs. The problem isn’t with the vegetable vendors themselves, but with how they occupy the roads for selling vegetables. The daily vegetable market on the link road from Ekvira Chowk to Parijat Chowk has become a headache for the residents there. Vendors occupy spaces right in front of the houses and apartment gates, and instead of the morning prayers, residents are greeted with the vendors hurling abuses at each other over encroaching on each other’s space. This road gets heavily congested with traffic until noon every day. Many similar issues arise due to the vegetable markets that set up on this road. This problem, with some variations, plagues almost all suburbs. To solve this problem permanently, it is necessary to establish a dedicated vegetable market in each suburb and ensure timely disposal of the garbage from these markets.
In addition, the issue of public toilets is serious. There are no public toilets in crowded places in any suburb. The parking issue is also becoming severe. We request the honorable MLA/MP of Ahmednagar to consider spending the amount used for election campaigns on these tasks, which would not only earn them votes but also the blessings of the citizens.
