PUNE: Nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Metro rail project in Pune, the Maha Metro corporation started work on the second corridor between Vanaz to Ramwadi on Thursday.
Guardian minister Girish Bapat, who along with Pune mayor Mukta Tilak were present for the ground-breaking ceremony, assured that the operations of the Pune Metro will start by 2021 in the city.
The Vanaz to Ramwadi metro corridor has been one of the most controversial route for the Pune Metro with activists and politicians raising objections over it in the past. Country’s green watchdog National Green Tribunal (NGT) also hearing a case related to the corridor.
The Vanaz to Ramwadi corridor is completely elevated and some part of it is going from Mutha riverbed from Nal Stop to Pune Municipal Corporation headquarters. The environmental activists have approached NGT opposing construction of the Metro route from Mutha riverbed near Deccan.
The work of the first corridor between Pimpri-Chinchwad and Swargate is already underway with Maha Metro, the executing body for Pune Metro rail, able to erect 10 pillars so far.
Bapat said that all hurdles facing the speedy completion of both the corridors will be addressed in an efficient manner. While referring to the issue of Shiv Shrusthi and Metro rail station at Kothrud bus stop, Bapat said that the matter will be resolved soon. While the corporators in Pune Municipal Corporation wants Shiv Shrusthi (Memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji) to be installed at the garbage depot land at Kothrud, Maha Metro has demanded the land for its station.
{{/usCountry}}Bapat said that all hurdles facing the speedy completion of both the corridors will be addressed in an efficient manner. While referring to the issue of Shiv Shrusthi and Metro rail station at Kothrud bus stop, Bapat said that the matter will be resolved soon. While the corporators in Pune Municipal Corporation wants Shiv Shrusthi (Memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji) to be installed at the garbage depot land at Kothrud, Maha Metro has demanded the land for its station.
{{/usCountry}}Bapat said, “The state government and the civic body will sort out this issue and try to accommodate both at the same place. I can say with certainty that both the projects will get completed in time.”
Meanwhile, advocate Asim Sarode, one of the petitioners in NGT, objected to starting of work as the case is pending in the court. Sarode said, “Maha Metro should first allow the NGT to dispose of the case and then start construction of the project.
MEGA PROJECT
Corridor Two- Vanaz to Ramwadi
Length -14.665 km
Number of stations- 16
Completely elevated corridor and both Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate and Vanaz to Ramwadi corridor would get integrated at Shivajinagar court
Project started: December 2016
Project expected to be completed: 2021