Pune’s district administration has directed government departments to speed up land acquisition for the Pune Municipal Corporation’s High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s Inner Ring Road, in a move aimed at advancing two major projects intended to address the city’s growing traffic congestion.
District Collector Jitendra Dudi said departments concerned would complete the demarcation and measurement of land along both project routes within a definite time frame. He also directed the Pune civic body to submit the documents and technical reports required for government approval to transfer land under the state government’s jurisdiction.
“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.
The HCMTR is planned as a 24-metre-wide route under the Pune Municipal Corporation, while the PMRDA Inner Ring Road is planned with a width of 65 metres. The district administration has called for coordinated action between itself, the PMC and PMRDA to acquire state-owned and privately held land required for the projects.
The administration has also received a positive response regarding the acquisition of land belonging to the Union Government’s Defence and Railway ministries, Dudi said. The availability and transfer of government land is expected to be handled alongside the acquisition of private parcels and land under other public authorities.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Manoj Patil said the HCMTR and Inner Ring Road would be important in reducing increasing traffic congestion in Pune. The projects are being advanced against the backdrop of rising pressure on the city’s road network and the need for additional high-capacity routes.
The Pune civic body has decided to conduct a drone survey of the land and prepare a master film documenting the actual sites proposed for the project. The visual material will also present the project’s expected benefits for the city, according to the report. The survey is intended to support the preparation and presentation of project-related information as the land acquisition process moves forward.
The HCMTR project is expected to cover 43.60 kilometres and has an estimated cost of Rs 2,634 crore. More than 4 lakh square metres of land will have to be acquired for the project. The areas identified for acquisition include Bopodi, Aundh, Bhamburda, Erandwana, Kothrud, Hingne, Parvati, Munjari, Wanawadi, Hadapsar, Mundhwa, Vadgaonsheri, Lohegaon, Yerawada and Dhanori.
The proposed land acquisition therefore cuts across established residential, commercial and transport-linked parts of Pune. The administration’s immediate focus is on route demarcation, land measurement, documentation and approvals before acquisition can proceed across the different ownership categories.
Dudi said government departments would need to work together to complete the process, while the PMC’s submission of technical reports remains an immediate requirement for the transfer of state government land. The next steps are the completion of surveys and measurements, submission of the required documents and coordinated action on land held by state, Union government and private owners.
