Commuting on the Pune-Mumbai highway can hardly be termed the “dream drive” as promised, despite a Rs 300-crore project ensuring that Pimpri-Chinchwad area arguably has the only 12-lane stretch on the entire highway, including the Expressway. Perversely, this 13-km stretch is also home to an arterial choke, the major culprit being encroachers.

To combat it, PCMC is setting up 10 parking zones and planning to impose a maximum fine of Rs 2,500 on trucks parked illegally on the highway.

If PCMC administration’s plan is approved in next week’s standing committee meeting, the fine on heavy vehicles will be highest ever imposed in the industrial town. Other than trucks, cars and autorickshaws found parked indiscriminately on any stretch of the highway will also be fined, but the amount will be lower.

Ten years ago, the then municipal commissioner of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pravinsinh Pardeshi, had imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on heavy vehicles parked at the busy Nashik Phata area. Adopting a tough posture against the "free run" of encroachers on the highway, Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma on Friday said the plan will take effect next week itself.

“Once the plan comes into being, you won’t find vehicles parked anywhere, anytime. Vehicles will have to be parked only in authorised parking zones set up by the PCMC. Those not doing so will have to pay a fine which will be a maximum of Rs 2,500,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) Manoj Patil said PCMC was within its power to impose such a fine. However, even before the plan takes effect, the traffic police have struck a discordant note. Patil said traffic police wanted to impose the fine of Rs 2,500.

Patil said that in Pune city, the Pune Municipal Corporation was imposing a maximum fine of Rs 5,000 in areas barred for trucks and private luxury buses. “After PCMC finalises the plan, we will request the civic body to allow us to impose the fine on errant vehicles. We don’t want the money for ourselves, we shall use it for improving traffic infrastructure,” Patil said.

Meanwhile, Sharma said PCMC would set up 10 parking zones on both sides of highway from Nigdi to Dapodi.

“One of the biggest parking zones will be behind the Ambedkar statue in Pimpri. The open space there will be used as parking zone and will not be handed over for any other activity,” he said.

City engineer Eknath Ugile said the civic administration and the traffic police were carrying out surveys on the highway to set up the parking zones. “We are doing our best to set up the parking zones in time,” he said. The Pune-Mumbai highway opened two months back. It has three grade separators, at Pimpri, Chinchwad and Akurdi and an overbridge at Nigdi.

Work on another bridge at Nashik Phata is awaiting civic green signal. Ever since it opened, encroachers like mechanics and vendors have taken over.