The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) removed 63 commercial establishments from the Mandai area and cleared the roadblock of the Pune metro project. For the last two years, the Maharashtra Metrorailway Corporation Company Limited (MahaMetro) was pursuing the issue with the authorities to clear the encroached area reserved for the Mandai metro station.
Madhav Jagtap, head of anti-encroachment department of the PMC said, “It was a pending issue due to relocation of commercial establishments. The civic body completed the relocation process, and the PMC gave an alternative land to people to rehabilitate them. We started action in the morning at 7.00 and completed in the evening at 6.00. We cleared the structure spread over almost 5,000 square feet of area.
The underground stretch between Agriculture College and Swargate is part of the 16-kilometre Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate corridor. There are five underground stations and Mandai is one of them.
Mandai underground station was pending for want of land which was occupied by commercial establishments such as shops of different food items. The MahaMetro plans to sink vertical shafts to extract the tunnel boring machines that are excavating the underground tunnels for the Metro rail.
Atul Gadgil, MahaMetro said, “We were waiting to want this piece of land for Mandai underground station. Finally, we got the land. Now, we will clear the debris and start work as early as possible. We have already been together for two years. The Mandai is the only underground station site where work has not started yet due to relocation issues of the commercial establishment.”
{{/usCountry}}Atul Gadgil, MahaMetro said, “We were waiting to want this piece of land for Mandai underground station. Finally, we got the land. Now, we will clear the debris and start work as early as possible. We have already been together for two years. The Mandai is the only underground station site where work has not started yet due to relocation issues of the commercial establishment.”
{{/usCountry}}He further said, “The land is important as it is the entry point of the station. We will construct two shifts which will be used for entry and exit points of the station. The PMC has done good work.”
Till date, the Mahametro has completed pre-tunnelling work such as shifting utilities and drainage lines in this area.
The MahaMetro has already begun the work at the Shivajinagar, Civil court, Kasba peth and Swargate underground stations and it has achieved 30 per cent completion so far.