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After locals oppose, MSRDC to change alignment of Pune ring road
After opposition to the passage of the Pune ring road via tunnel through Maval tehsil’s Bhandara dongar which is considered sacred by the locals, MSRDC has initiated an assessment procedure for change in alignment of the road
Following opposition to the passage of the Pune ring road via tunnel through Maval tehsil’s Bhandara dongar which is considered sacred by the locals, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has initiated an assessment procedure for change in alignment of the eastern part of the road near the said hill. Officials said that the original plan for the road to pass through the hill has been dropped and assessment is slated to begin to shift the route from the base of the hill.
The assessment of various factors related to the change in alignment such as its impact on the project budget, distance, land requirement and proximity of other national highways is scheduled to begin from Tuesday and will take at least a month to complete as per MSRDC officials.
Sandeep Patil, sub-divisional engineer, MSRDC, said, “There are emotions attached to the Bhandara dongar. Now we have to do an assessment for this change in alignment. We will need to assess how much extra land would be required if the ring road is to be shifted from the base of the hill and how many houses would be affected. The new alignment will have to be planned keeping in mind that the Chakan-Shikarpur national highway is nearby. Consultants will conduct this study and its economical impact will also have to be assessed. It will take a month.”
On Monday, a meeting was held in Mumbai with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, top officials of MSRDC, and people’s representatives. According to sources, there was consensus among the attendees about the decision related to Bhandara dongar. Meanwhile, a demand has also been presented to avoid irrigated land from the alignment of the ring road. However, MSRDC officials said that it is impossible to plan the ring road’s alignment exclusively on non-irrigated land.
On September 6, the state government approved ₹26,831.21 crore for the Pune ring road project, including construction and land acquisition costs. Out of ₹26,831.21 crore, ₹12,175.97 crore has been allocated for the western part of the ring road. Land survey of only three out of the 37 affected villages remains to be done for the western part. Collectively, ₹14,655.24 crore has been allocated for the eastern part. The Pune ring road is a proposed circular, outer road for the Pune Metropolitan Region, expected to solve the traffic woes of the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad cities. For the 173 km ring road, a total of 1,526.1153 hectare area is required.
