Pune district administration has directed government departments to accelerate land acquisition for the Pune Municipal Corporation’s 24-metre-wide High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s 65-metre-wide Inner Ring Road, as authorities seek to move forward on projects intended to address the city’s worsening traffic congestion.
District Collector Jitendra Dudi said the departments concerned would complete the demarcation and measurement of land along both project routes within a definite timeframe. He also directed the civic body to submit the documents and technical reports required for the state government’s approval to transfer land under state ownership.
“The PMC should immediately submit the necessary documents and technical reports for the approval of the proposal submitted to the government for the transfer of necessary land under the jurisdiction of the state government,” Dudi said, according to the Indian Express report.
The land acquisition process involves multiple public agencies and private landowners. Dudi said the acquisition of land belonging to the Union government’s Defence and Railway ministries had received a positive response. He called for coordinated action between the district administration, PMC and PMRDA to acquire state government land as well as privately owned plots.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Manoj Patil said the HCMTR and Inner Ring Road would be important for reducing the increasing traffic congestion in Pune city. The projects are therefore being advanced through an administrative process that includes route demarcation, land measurement, documentation and approvals before construction activity can proceed.
The PMC has also decided to conduct a drone survey and prepare a master film documenting the actual project site and the land proposed for use. The material is intended to show the route and its expected benefits for the city. The survey will cover land across several established and expanding parts of Pune, including Bopodi, Aundh, Bhamburda, Erandwana, Kothrud, Hingne, Parvati, Munjari, Wanawadi, Hadapsar, Mundhwa, Vadgaonsheri, Lohegaon, Yerawada and Dhanori.
According to the report, the project described as a long-term solution to Pune’s traffic congestion is expected to cost Rs 2,634 crore and will require the acquisition of more than 4 lakh square metres of land. The report identifies the HCMTR as a 43.60-kilometre project and says government land required for the project is expected to be available more easily, while land acquisition remains necessary across several urban localities.
The immediate next steps are the completion of route demarcation and land measurement, submission of PMC’s technical documentation, and coordinated action by the district administration, PMC and PMRDA on the transfer and acquisition of land. The administration’s direction places these activities on a defined timeframe, although the report does not specify a completion date.
