Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has asked officials not to implement the neo-metro project in Pune till a similar project is executed elsewhere. A related plan at Nashik remains on paper.
Pawar was examining the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed neo-metro project on the 36-km stretch of high capacity mass transit route (HCMTR) presented by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) last week.
“Has the ‘neo-metro’ project started anywhere in Maharashtra? If we start a project and it is unsuccessful, what do we do? Let the project start in Nashik before we take a decision. Once the new Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) chief is elected, we will discuss this project,” Pawar said.
Atul Gadgil, director, Maha-Metro, said, “We presented the DPR phase 2 of Maha-Metro which is a 82.5-km stretch to the deputy CM. It includes one line of neo-metro of HCMTR. The deputy CM has not rejected the project, but wait till the Nashik plan takes off.”
Maha-Metro is already working on the 32-km Nashik metro neo project after getting an in-principle nod from the Union government. It is a first-of-its-kind project to come up in the country. The Nashik metro project is expected to cost around Rs2,100 crore as compared to Rs8,000 plus crore, the amount it would have cost to build a rail-based metro.
{{/usCountry}}Maha-Metro is already working on the 32-km Nashik metro neo project after getting an in-principle nod from the Union government. It is a first-of-its-kind project to come up in the country. The Nashik metro project is expected to cost around Rs2,100 crore as compared to Rs8,000 plus crore, the amount it would have cost to build a rail-based metro.
{{/usCountry}}The 82.5-km-long phase 2 corridor connects Vanaz to Chandani chowk (1.5 kilometre), Ramwadi to Wagholi (12 kilometre), Hadapsar to Kharadi (5 kilometre), Swargate to Hadapsar (7 kilometre), Khadakwasla to Swargate (13 kilometre), SNDT to Warje (8 km), and HCMTR in PMC (36 km).
It was in 1986 that PMC decided to build an internal ‘ring road’ in a bid to expand Pune. Accordingly, PMC had prepared the plan for the HCMTR project. Due to lack of land acquisition and financial difficulties, the project remained on paper. The former Devendra Fadnavis-helmed government tried to push the project, but Fadnavis (the then CM) suggested that it was difficult to implement the project at the time and different options be considered.
Later, Pawar reviewed the project. Finally, last year, the option of neo-metro on the HCMTR route was considered and Maha-Metro was instructed to prepare a DPR. Although Maha-Metro has prepared the DPR, Pawar suggested that final decision will be taken only after the forthcoming municipal elections.