HCMTR project: Stakeholders raise concerns about cost bifurcation, rehabilitation, damage to environment

PUNE The High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) or the inner ring road project, lacks details about cost bifurcation and does not mention rehabilitation cost and

PUNE The High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) or the inner ring road project, lacks details about cost bifurcation and does not mention rehabilitation cost and loss of business due to the project, said advocate Ritesh Kulkarni, who shed light on the funds of the project during an open discussion at Sajag Nagrik Manch monthly platform, in the city on Sunday.

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Present for the discussion were Jugal Rathi, organiser; Vivek Welankar, RTI activist; Prashant Inamdar, Pedestrian First; Sarang Yadwadkar, urban planner; Dinkar Gojare, executive engineer, in charge of HCMTR, represented Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Gopalrao Chintan represented the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“The consultants have mentioned half the amount of the total cost of the project which is Rs 5,200 crore for land acquisition and it is not clear if the cost is as per 2019 or 2016? The project also lacks the details of rehabilitation cost and loss of business due to the project,’’ said Kulkarni.

Sarang Yadwadkar highlighted the fact that PMC has not been able to clarify the changes in the alignment of the route or the reasons for the same and why it will allow private vehicles, goods trucks to ply on the route.

“The project details does not mention the residential housing societies that will be affected, pollution levels and damage caused to the environment,’ said Yadwadkar.

Chintan spoke about how the HCMTR project is the need of the hour and will help ease public transport.

Inamdar said, “How can you allow goods trucks and private vehicles to ply on this route which is supposed to be used for public transport.’’

Gojare informed during the discussion that the HCMTR is a 36 km route and 17.5 km of the route is on existing roads of the city, and following the suggestions from the consultants, the Bus rapid transit (BRT) will be the centre of the six-lane road. Accordingly, PMPML has suggested 27 stations on the route and of those suggested, 26 stations are on the elevated road, hence the HCMTR will have 17 up ramps and 16 down ramps, thus taking the cost of this entire project to Rs 5,200 crore.

Gojare said, “We are in the process of acquiring land from state government who have 20 per cent component of land, while 75 per cent component of land is with the Central government, whereupon, PMC is now waiting for permissions from them.”