Pune: PMC standing committee on Wednesday approved Rs3,722 crore for land acquisition for two major infrastructure projects—Rs2,634 crore for the high capacity mass transit route (HCMTR) and Rs1,088 crore for the inner ring road project.Around 4.98 lakh sqm of land is required for the 35-km-long, six-lane elevated HCMTR. The transit route will pass through 15 key areas and 34 junctions across the city, including Bopodi, Aundh, Bhamburda, Erandwane, Kothrud, Hingne, Parvati, Wanowrie, Hadapsar, Mundhwa, Wadgaonsheri, Lohegaon, Yerawada, and Dhanori.For the inner ring road, approximately 7.23 lakh sqm of land has been identified across Wadachiwadi, Pisoli, Yevlewadi, Gujar Nimbalkarwadi, Mangdewadi, Bhilarewadi, Ambegaon Khurd, and Jambhulwadi. All these areas are located in the city’s peripheral pockets and were merged into Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC) a few years ago.Standing committee chairperson Shrinath Bhimale said that because both projects have been prioritised under instructions from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the committee moved to approve the expenditures during Wednesday’s meeting.A source within the PMC noted that the civic body will bear the full financial burden of the land acquisition, facing a potential expenditure of Rs3,722.50 crore for the land alone. The civic administration has already started exploring various options to raise the necessary funds, the source added.A series of joint meetings have been held over the past month by the PMC and the district administration to discuss the alignment and land requirements for both the HCMTR and the inner ring road.PMC officials stated that the formal proposals for land acquisition have been submitted to the district administration.While the district administration clarified that the PMC must deposit the entire compensation amount at the time of the final land award, the civic body will not be required to deposit the initial 30% immediately to kickstart the acquisition process.
