India, Oct. 28 -- Arterial roads in the Pune Cantonment area - particularly East Street, General Thimayya Road and Dr Coyaji Road - that were once public roads near sensitive defence establishments, have now been turned into open-air showrooms for used cars while causing traffic congestion and raising serious security concerns. Walk down any Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) road, and you can see rows of used cars bearing 'for sale' signs.

Civic activists allege that the PCB, Defence Estates Office (DEO) and Pune traffic police have deliberately ignored this rampant misuse. "If the PCB had legally leased out this space or penalised violators, the revenue could have gone into the cantonment treasury, benefitting the central government," said an...