E-Paper
Land acquisition stalls Pune’s Katraj flyover work, yet again
Nearly half of the flyover has been constructed however completion of the project now hinges on the acquisition of 11 key land parcels, seven out of which have been taken over so far
Delayed already, the Katraj Chowk flyover project has hit yet another roadblock this time due to pending land acquisition in the Rajas Society area. Nearly half of the flyover has been constructed however completion of the project now hinges on the acquisition of 11 key land parcels, seven out of which have been taken over so far. So far, 2,139 square metres out of a total 4,577 square metres of obstructing land has been acquired at a cost of ₹9 crore. The remaining 2,438 square metres remains to be acquired. Locals are growing increasingly impatient and are urging the authorities to expedite acquisition of the remaining land parcels.
The property department has passed on responsibility to the land acquisition office which recently conducted a fresh land survey. Officials have now begun compulsory acquisition proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act and have invited suggestions and objections from the affected property owners, giving the latter a one-month window for their response.
Sudhir Chavan, executive engineer from the PMC road department, said, “Out of the 11 land plots needed to be acquired, we have acquired seven from their respective landowners. We are working to acquire the remaining land plots. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is supposed to start the landing work of the flyover near Rajas Society.”
“NHAI has refused to extend the flyover beyond Rajas Society. They will complete it as per the original plan,” Chavan said.
Saliem Sheikh, sub-engineer from NHAI, said, “Currently, traffic is moving on the main road. So, we cannot start work near Rajas Society. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was supposed to build a service road and divert traffic onto it, which would allow us to start the landing work. But the PMC hasn’t constructed the service road yet. We are expecting it to be built before June. We missed the earlier deadline for the flyover which was February 2025. We can now complete the flyover by the December 2025 deadline. Now, we’ve set a new deadline of December 2025 to complete the flyover. We are trying our best to meet the target, but now it’s up to the PMC.”
MLC (member of legislative council) Yogesh Tilekar had earlier conducted a joint inspection of the site and held a meeting with district collector Jitendra Dudi and other officials. Ever since, citizens have been hopeful of the project gaining momentum. However, with the land acquisition process still moving slowly, there are growing concerns about whether or not the project will be completed by the end of December, as earlier promised.
Deadline likely to be missed again
Officials now estimate that acquiring the remaining land parcels could take another six months. After that, the road department will need at least three more months to construct service roads—an essential step before extending construction of the flyover as traffic would have to be rerouted through these roads. Consequently, the project appears set for another unavoidable deadline extension.
Shweta Darunkar, special land acquisition officer, said, “We are proceeding with compulsory acquisition under the guidance of the district collector. The PMC has already taken possession of some of the land through negotiations. We have received proposals for the remaining plots and started the necessary actions. But realistically, acquiring the remaining land could take six more months.”
Ganesh Shinde, a local resident, voiced frustration over the repeated delays. “There have already been two deadline extensions. Daily traffic jams at Katraj, Kondhwa and the Chowk area are making life miserable. The administration must act fast and resolve the problem for the benefit of commuters.”
