Pune ring road to curtail pollution by nearly 25%, says Maharashtra minister
- The circular road, stretching 173.7km, will have 14 multilevel interchanges, 17 tunnels and four roadways over bridges, among other facilities.
The proposed ring road in Pune will aid in the reduction of pollution by nearly 25 per cent, and also augment the socio-economic development of the region, Maharashtra urban development minister Eknath Shinde said on Friday. He added that the proposed project will also enhance the road connectivity to the state’s second largest city.
The circular road that will be toll-free and is estimated to be used by at least 70,000 vehicles daily, will service 29 villages and connect all the highways skirting past Pune, Shinde further said.
“As a result of significant expansion and urbanisation, millions of vehicles arrive in Pune every day, causing air and noise pollution,” he said, adding that the ring road will mitigate the traffic issue.
The minister pointed out that vehicles travelling to Saswad, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Konkan and Mumbai pass through Pune thereby causing traffic snarls, and air and noise pollution. “The ring road will also considerably reduce travel time and distance…It will entail the acquisition of roughly 1554.64 hectares of land," he added.
A recent National Emissions Inventory (NEI) report had revealed that automobile emissions contribute to 91 per cent of Pune’s air pollution.
The Pune ring road will have 14 multilevel interchanges and eight major bridges to aid in smooth traffic management. Stretching 173.7km, the road will also have 18 viaducts, 17 tunnels and four roadways over bridges, officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) earlier said.
Officials further stated that the project will be executed in two phases – east and west, at a cost of ₹26,831 crore.
The MSRDC has, however so far, managed to complete the land measurement of over 51 per cent of the total area to be acquired for the western side of the ring road. As far as land acquisition of the eastern part is concerned, the process has begun and officials have also commenced to hold meetings in the affected villages.
(With inputs from PTI)
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