After four-year delay, the plan to construct the Shivajinagar bus depot may finally take shape. Shivajinagar MLA Siddharth Shirole after a meeting with Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) officials on Tuesday said that the project will be finalised within two weeks.
Hindustan Times on August 21 had reported that the bus depot plan remained on paper even after four years.
According to Shirole, Maha-Metro managing director Shravan Hardikar at the meet on Tuesday said that MSRTC has submitted its previous detailed project report (DPR) that proposes the plan on public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
“Maha-Metro has taken charge of the project, and the final plan will receive state government’s approval within the next two weeks,” he said.
The original plan envisioned integrating the bus depot with the metro’s underground station and the nearby railway station, creating a seamless transport hub at Shivajinagar. However, the public transport utility later proposed building the depot independently, even suggesting a permanent shift of the bus stand to Wakdewadi to develop the Shivajinagar land for revenue generation.
The proposal to move the bus stand was met with opposition from residents and elected representatives, including Shirole, who pushed for the bus stand to remain at its original location at Shivajinagar. After a series of discussions, the state government has agreed to proceed with the original plan to build the bus depot at a cost of ₹250 crore.
{{/usCountry}}The proposal to move the bus stand was met with opposition from residents and elected representatives, including Shirole, who pushed for the bus stand to remain at its original location at Shivajinagar. After a series of discussions, the state government has agreed to proceed with the original plan to build the bus depot at a cost of ₹250 crore.
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