Pune: The widening of Ganeshkhind Road is causing a hurdle for Pune Metro Line 3 project. While the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) plans to construct two stations on the 36-metre-width road as widening work is taking time, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has insisted on building these stations after the widening of the stretch from the present 36 metre to 45 metre as per the city’s development plan (DP).
PMRDA is developing the Pune Metro Line 3 project from Hinjewadi to Civil Court under public private partnership (PPP). Metro stations are proposed at two places — RBI office on Ganeshkhind Road and Shivajinagar at Shimla Office Chowk — on this section of the route.
According to the civic officials, PMC has begun road-widening work of Ganeshkhind Road at two stretches — from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) to RBI Building and further to Sancheti Chowk with priority from SPPU to RBI Building for PMRDA Metro Line 3 double decker flyover. The stretch from SPPU to RBI Building compound is 80 per cent complete and work of metro station at SPPU has already begun.
However, construction of the next two planned metro stations on the route — RBI office and Shivajinagar — has not commenced because of road width issue.
PMC has informed PMRDA that instead of building these two stations as mentioned in the detail project report (DPR) of Pune Metro Line 3 on existing 36-metre-wide road, it should be constructed after widening the stretch to 45-metre as per the development plan.
{{/usCountry}}PMC has informed PMRDA that instead of building these two stations as mentioned in the detail project report (DPR) of Pune Metro Line 3 on existing 36-metre-wide road, it should be constructed after widening the stretch to 45-metre as per the development plan.
{{/usCountry}}Vikas Dhakane, additional municipal commissioner, said, “As per the city’s traffic plan for Ganeshkhind Road for the next 50 years, we have asked PMRDA to space the metro stations 45-metre apart. We are taking steps to acquire government property, including a piece of land of Akashvani, for the metro station. A decision will be made after a meeting with the municipal commissioner.”
Ramdas Jagtap, deputy collector and public relations officer, PMRDA, said, “PMC has shown concern that entry and exit points will make the existing road narrow. We have already acquired land of government establishments on Ganeshkhind Road for metro stations as per the DPR two year ago. Now, if we want to widen the road from 36 metres to 45 metres, we will have to follow the procedures once again and it will take time. After PMRDA commissioner Rahul Mahiwal, who is in Telangana for election duty, returns to the city in the first week of December, a meeting will be arranged with PMC commissioner to discuss these issues.”
The official said that though metro station works has started at Shivajinagar and RBI Building areas, the construction of entry-exit points will be carried out later.
The Pune Metro Line 3 project, signed under PPP on September 21, 2019, is set to complete by March 2025 due to delay in land acquisition.