Farmers oppose land acquisition for hyperloop; await details in DPR
PUNE: In March this year, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) had invited suggestions and objections to its mega, futuristic Hyperloop project. The then PMRDA chief Kiran Gitte had said, “As Hyperloop is a new concept and will be introduced in India for the first time, the government is inviting suggestions and objections from the residents.”
The suggestions and objections were invited with regards to the intellectual property of the project and from those affected by the project. 
This was when a group of farmers undertook an agitation near Urse toll naka on the Pune-Mumbai expressway and also at the PMRDA office located at PCNDTA (Pimpri Chinchwad New Township Development Authority).
Representatives of the farmers from the area such as Shankarrao Shelar, Kishor Bhegade, Subhash Dhamankar, Pravin Gopale, Rakesh Ghare, Nitin Bodke and Vishwanth Shelar said they had secured an assurance from the PMRDA that their lands won’t be acquired for this project. Gitte had then promised the farmers that the government would acquire minimum lands for the project and will ensure transparency.
Meanwhile, former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and former deputy chief minister Ajit Paware are among those who have opposed the Hyperloop project.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and former deputy chief minister Ajit Paware are among those who have opposed the Hyperloop project.
{{/usCountry}}Chavan said that he has many doubts about the technical feasibility of the Hyperloop project, especially as the terrain between Lonavla and Khandala and the ghat section does not seem suitable for the project.It is a new technology that has not been used anywhere, he said.
Leaders’ speak
Vandana Chavan (MP, Nationalist Congress Party): The transport related projects are executed without proper planning. We are not against Hyperloop or new technology, but proper planning is a must before carrying out any project. As of now, we don’t know the Hyperloop project’s exact route, its affordability and how fund will be raised. While the state government is spending crores on the Hyperloop plan, financial assistance to cash-strapped Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) will help commuters who use the public transport utility and also decongest Pune roads.
Abhay Chhajed (Former city unit Congress president): The BJP government’s hyperloop plan is like selling a dream. During the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, skytrain/skybus was announced in Goa in 2002-03. What happened about that project? The Hyperloop plan would also meet the same fate. There is no such project in the world and many have raised issues on its safety factor. Who wants to cover the distance between Pune and Mumbai in 30 minutes? No such demand is made from residents, but the government is in a hurry to sell such dream projects.
Bhartiya Kisan Sangh’s Pune district president Shankarrao Shelar: Farmers would oppose the project. There is no such project running anywhere in the world. If we don’t know whether it would get success or not, why should we give our lands to such project? Government is spending crores of rupees on it, but it should fix its priority and give money to drought-districts. Farmers from Pune to Mumbai would oppose Hyperloop.
PMPML commuters demand better buses and service
Reacting to the state government’s approval of the Pune-Mumbai hyperloop project as an infrastructure project, regular users of the city bus service run by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) have questioned the need for such high-cost plan and have instead demanded that the state should take steps to improve the service and quality of buses.
Charulata Belkhede, senior citizen, said, “I have been travelling by PMPML since last 14 years and, over the years, nothing has changed except bus models. Earlier there were diesel buses, then CNG and now electric buses have hit the roads. Yet, there is no significant improvement in basic facilities like seat quality, frequency of buses and increase in number of routes. While hyperloop is being planned by the state, we want better public transport service in the city.”
Abhijit Padge, student, said, “PMPML buses are overcrowded during rush hours and drivers do not care to even halt at bus stops. If the transport utility is charging more for long routes, it should ply more buses on these routes like Swargate to Hadapsar or PMC main building to Chinchwad and Nigdi as there are many passengers for these stretches. It is good that we will now be getting a hyperloop for Pune to Mumbai transportation, but there is also a need of affordable public transport for Pune.”
“I am waiting at the PMC main building bus station for a bus to Hadapsar for more than half an hour. More than anything else, the authorities should take steps to increase PMPML fleet and improve the condition of buses. We often see PMPML buses break down on roads and causing traffic congestion. We talk about hyperloop service coming up in the state, but first improve PMPML service.” said. Naren Singh, IT professional.
Jugal Rathi, PMP Pravasi Manch’s founder, said, “Right from a small town to Delhi, the intentions of the government are different and not for the public. Sustainable transport needs to be there and PMC has declared its draft earlier, the government is just focusing on the capital raising projects and to highlight themselves. They do not want to actually work for commuters and their real interest is just in purchasing new buses. Politicians have interest in Hyperloop and not in the improvement of PMPML service. Nobody is interested in sustainable transport and they just misguide public.”
Sujit Patwardhan, founder and trustee, Parisar, said, “Hyperloop is an unproven technology project. It is not been used anywhere in the country. Rather than spending public money on such huge projects, government should focus on improving the public transport of cities. The main issue in Pune city is of transportation and traffic, and politicians give false promises of taking steps to develop the city. With the state taking up such wrong-concept projects, I fear that one day the government will become bankrupt.”