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Pune may soon get water transport on its Mula-Mutha rivers
Centre has approved the proposal for inclusion of Mula, Mutha rivers in its National Waterways project.
Water transport within Pune city may become a reality with the centre agreeing to accept the state government’s proposal for inclusion of Mula and Mutha, the two rivers flowing through the city, in the centre’s National Waterways plan.
According to Pune Member of Parliament (MP) Anil Shirole, the state government had recently sent a proposal to the centre for inclusion of Mula and Mutha in its National Waterways plan. The centre had earlier selected a number of rivers for inland waterways under its National Waterways project, of which, work on 10 rivers is underway.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Shirole on Sunday said that the centre has accepted the proposal sent by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to include two rivers in the plan. “After I sent a letter to chief minister, the state government made a proposal and sent it to the union ministry of water transport. The ministry has now accepted it,” said Shirole adding that he is going to speak to union minister for water transport Nitin Gadkari to take it further.
In his letter written on October 7, this year, the BJP MP had urged the state government to develop inland waterways in Pune city as a part of intra-city transport system. “The central government has started work on National Waterways and 10 rivers have been selected for this project. I request you to consider Pune city for this project and include Mula-Mutha in the list of rivers,” Shirole said in the letter.
He further stated in his letter that development of inland waterways in Pune as a part of intra-city public transport system and the “National Waterways” project will certainly improve the transport system of Pune.
Earlier, during his visit to the city, Gadkari had strongly backed water transport in Pune. “If the Maharashtra government issues a no objection certificate (NOC), Mula and Mutha rivers can be added to the project for water transport,” said Gadkari during August this year.
Following Gadkari’s suggestion, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) also began exploring the feasibility of waterways in the city as an alternate transport medium.
The civic chief Kunal Kumar had then told HT: “The union minister has suggested a good concept of waterways in Mula and Mutha rivers. There are some issues in it, but PMC will try to explore this concept. As suggested by the minister, PMC will request guardian minister Girish Bapat to call the meeting with various agencies like irrigation and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The meeting will discuss the possibilities of this concept.”
Meanwhile, after missing deadlines on two occasions earlier, the government has given yet another deadline for appointment of consultant for the conservation project of Mula and Mutha rivers in Pune. Shirole said that formalities regarding the appointment of consultant for the project being implemented with financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), under centre’s National River Conservation Plan, will be completed and the appointment will be done within a week.
“I have pursued the matter with the union environment minister Harsh Vardhan. The government has agreed to appoint a consultant within a week,” added Shirole.
