In a policy decision aimed at preventing infrastructure projects from stalling due to incomplete land acquisition, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to commence work on development plan (DP) roads only after securing possession of at least 60% of the required land.
PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said, “Several road projects were started without adequate land acquisition resulting in delays stretching over several years, causing inconvenience to citizens and locking up civic funds in incomplete works.”
“No road project will now be approved unless at least 60% of the required land has been acquired. We have already rejected proposals for the Magarpatta and Baner road projects as they did not meet this criterion,” Ram said.
The decision comes amid several major DP road projects across the city remaining incomplete due to land acquisition hurdles. These include the Shivane-Kharadi riverfront road project, which has been delayed for nearly 15 years; the Katraj-Kondhwa road-widening project, which has been delayed for the past six years; two DP roads at Mohammadwadi; the road connecting Keshavnagar bridge in Kharadi; the Kalyaninagar-Nagar road link via Gunjan Talkies junction in Yerawada; and the proposed Inner Ring Road.
As per civic officials, as many as 33 key DP roads are currently stuck because of partial land acquisition. Once completed, these projects will provide nearly 85 km of new link and alternative roads, significantly improving connectivity across the city. Whereas only about 9% of the roads proposed in the city’s DP have been developed so far. Officials said that acquiring land for the remaining roads requires substantial funds and lengthy legal procedures. Starting work before acquiring sufficient land often results in fragmented roads that fail to benefit commuters even as project costs continue to escalate.
{{/usCountry}}As per civic officials, as many as 33 key DP roads are currently stuck because of partial land acquisition. Once completed, these projects will provide nearly 85 km of new link and alternative roads, significantly improving connectivity across the city. Whereas only about 9% of the roads proposed in the city’s DP have been developed so far. Officials said that acquiring land for the remaining roads requires substantial funds and lengthy legal procedures. Starting work before acquiring sufficient land often results in fragmented roads that fail to benefit commuters even as project costs continue to escalate.
{{/usCountry}}The new policy will also apply to projects being executed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The PMC had planned to develop 11 DP roads through PPP under which developers would be compensated via credit notes. However, several developers have left the projects incomplete because land acquisition was not completed, while others have sought additional payments due to prolonged delays. The commissioner on Thursday rejected two PPP road proposals that failed to meet the 60% land acquisition threshold — the ₹119-crore Magarpatta (Hadapsar) road project; and the ₹170-crore Baner riverside road project.