‘Don’t move Kalakar Katta, regulate traffic’: NGO makes case for saving Pune’s popular cultural gathering spot

The study finds that the junction is a compact intersection, in line with Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines for urban areas, designed to improve traffic throughput while ensuring safety for all road users, including pedestrians and two-wheeler riders.

The road geometry is described as “appropriately designed”, with pedestrian-friendly footpaths and crossings that allow people to cross at their desired line. The available turning radius for vehicles approaching Bhandarkar Road from FC Road is approximately 24 m, which the report says is more than sufficient for standard city buses and other large vehicles to turn smoothly without encroaching on opposing lanes.

On travel time, the study measured movement through the junction and found it comparable to other similar intersections in the city.

The key problem identified is not the space itself, but behaviour around it: specifically, unregulated halting, pick-up, and drop-off activity near the junction. Two-wheelers, autorickshaws, app-based taxis, private vehicles, and delivery personnel stopping in front of eateries were observed creating temporary obstructions, narrowing effective lane width and causing localised congestion during peak hours.

What Parisar recommends

Aditya Chawande, Programme Associate and Urban Designer at Parisar NGO, told The Indian Express that the organisation submitted the technical note to the PMC commissioner on March 12. “The study clearly shows that the junction is safe and functional. Instead of shifting Kalakar Katta, what the authorities need to do is regulate halting in the area,” he said.

The recommendations in the note include installing clear No Halting, No Stopping and No Parking signage near the junction, with strict enforcement by traffic police and wardens, particularly at the turning from FC Road to Bhandarkar Road.

The note also recommends installing informational boards to guide visitors, manage pedestrian congregations, and reduce roadside conflicts. Additionally, the “Moda seatouts”, seating elements placed along the road edge, should be shifted slightly inward to discourage people from sitting close to the carriageway and to maintain a clearer footpath edge.

Artists and visitors speak out

The debate has drawn strong responses from those who use and value the space. Ganesh Salunkhe, a frequent visitor, echoed the sentiment held widely among regulars. “Kalakar Katta is such a place on the busy FC Road that offers peace, creativity, and a moment of joy. If it gets relocated, artists and art enthusiasts would be at a loss,” he said.

Portrait artist Amrapali Sabale criticised what she called selective enforcement. “The administration is allowing illegal hawkers to continue their business while encroaching on footpaths along FC Road, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. Meanwhile, artists carrying forward Pune’s cultural legacy are being sidelined,” she said.

Kalakar Katta has for years served as a gathering point for painters, photographers, people from various fields of art, and visitors seeking a space for creative interaction and cultural exchange. Advocates for the space argue that such organic, accessible public spaces are rare in Indian cities and should be protected rather than displaced in the name of traffic convenience.