Pune ring road: NHAI to bear 80% land acquisition cost

NHAI has decided to bear major part of land acquisition cost of proposed Pune’s 170-km ring road connecting highways passing through the city and diverting heavy traffic out of city

PUNE: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to bear major part of land acquisition cost of proposed Pune’s 170-km ring road connecting highways passing through the city and diverting heavy traffic out of city.

NHAI has decided to bear major part of land acquisition cost of proposed Pune’s 170-km ring road connecting highways passing through the city and diverting heavy traffic out of city. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

NHAI has appealed to the Maharashtra government that as the land acquisition cost in Maharashtra is high, it will bear 80 per cent cost of the land and the latter should share the remaining 10 per cent.

As per the Maharashtra government’s rule, owners are getting five times more compensation than the land’s cost given for government projects. As per NHAI policy, the land cost is capped at four times.

Union minister of road transport and highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari said, “As Pune’s ring road is connecting various highways, including Satara road, Solapur, Ahmednagar road, Nashik road and Pune-Mumbai expressway, it will help traffic coming from other cities to reach destination without passing through Pune city. While NHAI has decided to bear the land acquisition cost for Pune’s ring road project, the state should bear the additional expense.”

A senior officer from land acquisition department said, “Though NHAI will bear the cost, it is the district administration who will need to acquire the land. We would provide land acquisition cost to NHAI and forward the proposal to the state government to bear the remaining share.”

Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh said, “The administration has already completed the land measurement exercise though it faced opposition from few owners.”

MP Amol Kolhe said, “The officials held many meetings with land owners and the ring road project is already behind schedule.”

The 170 km-long Pune ring road will be an eight-lane express highway catering to a vehicle speed of 120 km per hour. According to a Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the project will split the city and the highway traffic and help in reduction of vehicular pollution.