A few political leaders from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), civic officers of the two civic bodies, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Pune MP Suresh Kalmadi, and Rajya Sabha members Prakash Javdekar and Vandana Chavan had a meeting with Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath in New Delhi on Thursday to seek approval for the Metro project. There will be another meeting of officers on January 14 to discuss the project in detail.
After going through the presentation, Kamal Nath assured that the Union government would do all possible funding for the project. The Union minister urged that the SPV of Pune should become an ideal model for other cities with integration of Metro, mono rail and BRTS, said Mayor Vaishali Bankar.
The minister asked the delegation to immediately register the SPV and send the proposal to the Union government so that provisions could be made in the next financial budget draft, she said, adding: He also urged us to make time-bound programme for implementation of the Metro rail project and set deadlines for each work.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officers present in the meeting clarified that there would be a problem in starting the work if any changes were brought in the alignment of the planned route.
The PMC decision to allow four Floor Space Index (FSI) within a distance of 500 metres on both sides of the route was appreciated as it would help in raising funds.
MP Suresh Kalmadi said he had urged the Union government to make budgetary provision for Pune Metro in the next fiscal as all other cities were getting ahead in implementing their Metro projects.
MP Prakash Javdekar said his suggestion to make a plan for the expansion of Metro rail in the next 20 years with reservations in development plan was accepted by the Union minister.
As per the project prepared by the DMRC for Pune, it would be implemented in two phases. The first phase will have two lines a 16.59-km route from Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate and a 14.93-km route from Vanaz to Ramwadi. The second phase will have an 11-km route
from Deccan Gymkhana to Bundgarden and a 18-km route from ASI to Hinjewadi.
Underground in central Pune, elevated in other parts
The controversy over elevated or underground Metro rail has come to an end with the civic body going ahead with the DMRC report that recommends underground tracks in central parts of the city and elevated stations in other areas. Political parties, barring the Congress, were pushing for underground stations calling them safer and more efficient, but it was ruled out due to an exorbitant project cost.
Govt to decide cost sharing between PMC, PCMC
With PMC and PCMC not giving up their respective stands, Union Minister Sharad Pawar said on Thursday the issue pertaining to sharing of the project expenditure to be incurred by the two civic bodies would now be sorted out by the state government. The PMC has been demanding that the cost should be shared equally, while the PCMC has clarified that it would only pay for the expenditure to be incurred on the route falling in its jurisdiction. It had been proposed that the civic bodies would contribute 10 per cent of the total funding for the project, while the state and Union governments would pay 20 per cent each, and the remaining 50 per cent would be raised through other means.