Pune, July 18 (IANS). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that Pune is on its way to becoming a major global hub for ‘Deep Tech’ and ‘Global Capability Centres’ (GCC) and will emerge as the country’s leading modern city and ‘growth engine’ by 2030.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of three major elevated corridor projects namely Pune–Shirur, Talegaon–Chakan–Shikrapur and Hadapsar–Yawat, CM Devendra Fadnavis stressed on the state’s efforts to solve the long-standing traffic jam problem in Pune.
The government has received initial premium from these projects, implemented by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) on ‘build-operate-transfer’ (BOT) basis. Of these, Rs 500 crore has been received from Pune-Shirur Corridor, Rs 300 crore from Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur Corridor and Rs 150 crore from Hadapsar-Yawat Corridor, i.e. a total of Rs 950 crore.
Fadnavis said that all three elevated corridors have been designed keeping in mind the future metro lines. He said that incorporating the structural design of the metro in the blueprint of the existing flyover will not cause any hindrance in future and will reduce the future alignment cost by at least 40 per cent.
To improve connectivity to the upcoming Purandar International Airport, the government is planning to build a double-tube tunnel through the ‘Dive Ghat’ to facilitate both road and metro transport. More than 50 percent land acquisition for the airport has already been completed, which is a national record in terms of speed.
Additionally, the 173 km long Outer Ring Road and 86 km long Inner Ring Road are scheduled to be completed within two years and are expected to reduce traffic jams inside the city by 30 percent.
Talking about long-term plans, Fadnavis stressed on sustainable water management and said that sewage treatment plants (STPs) are being set up on a large scale with the help of JICA and the World Bank to recycle urban waste water.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that these three elevated corridors will reduce traffic jams and pollution to a great extent. He said that due to difficulties in acquiring land for the expansion of the highway, international engineering solutions are being adopted.
–IANS
SCH/DKP