Work on Rs 11,420-crore Pune Metro Rail project to begin in April 2017

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Pune's Rs 11,420-crore Metro Rail project, it seems that the actual work on the project will begin only from April 2017

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Pune's Rs 11,420-crore Metro Rail project, it seems that the actual work on the project will begin only from April 2017.

According to Maha Metro MD Brijesh Dixit, the Metro project will be completed within next five years. Dixit was in Pune on Thursday for an event after which he interacted with the media.

P.L.Kadu showing first sample of geo technical survey, also seen in the picture (L-R) Ramnath Subramaniam and Brijesh Dixit

P. L. Kadu, Deputy General Manager, S D Limaye, Technical Consultant, Sagar Shirke, co-ordinator, CM War Room Team, Ramnath Subramaniam, Executive Director Strategic Planning, Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL) were also present for the interaction.

Dixit explained that all the tenders related to the metro rail project will float within next 15 days. He also informed that the Geo-Technical Survey and the Topographical survey have already begun in the city. “The total length of of Pune Metro will be 31.3km, of which 5 km will be underground. Hence, we have started making boreholes to test the situation under the role and the possibilities of the foundation,” he said. The work of Vanaz to Ramwadi corridor will start from Vanaz and PCMC to Swargate corridor will start from PCMC, he added.

Dixit further explained that the total cost of the Pune Metro is approximately Rs 11,420 crore. Around 42% of the cost will be covered by Central and State government, the remaining 58% cost will be covered with the help of external agencies.

Brijesh Dixit

“We are in talks with the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Finance Institution for the funding of this project. We need approximately Rs 6,500 crore from these agencies. We are expected to finalise the funding within next few months,” he said.

The core team of Maha Metro also discussed the challenges in the process. One of the most important challenges will be the land acquisition. The total land required for the Metro project is 44 hectares.

“Out of the total land required, 50 % is in the depots, 10 hectares belong to the government and only 12 hectares is the private land. The process of acquiring government land has already begun,” said Dixit.

He also mentioned that the total cost of land acquisition as per the Development Project Report is Rs. 900 Crore.

Kadu, while explaining the technical details showed the acquired hard rock from the 6m bore dug at the Ramwadi village. “It has been found from the initial inspection that solid hard rock has been found under 6 meters only. This means that open type foundation of Pune Metro is possible. It will not only save the time but also the cost of project,” he said.

(L-R) Ramnath Subramaniam and Brijesh Dixit

In the purview of keeping the process transparent and encouraging public participation, the Maha Metro will conduct Metro Samvad, a weekly programme. Under the programme public meetings will be conducted in the concerned areas and feedback from citizens will be taken on the regular basis. It has also launched a voluntary programme under the name of Friends of Metro and Fans of Metro for citizens to voluntarily join the programme and become part of the development process.

Pune Metro Rail Project is also active on Facebook and Twitter with a handle @metrorailpune. A youtube channel has also been launched. “Every detail of this project will be easily available on these portals. We will also be conducting programmes and events to converse with the citizens and take their feedback. Involving the citizens of Pune and making sure that the Metro serves them well is our priority,” said Dixit.

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