Pune Metro gets ‘in principle’ approval of urban development ministry

The union ministry for urban development has accorded 'in principle' approval to the Pune Metro Rail Project, minister of urban development and parliamentary affairs Kamal Nath said today.

Pune Metro Rail Project will cover a length of 31.51 km along two corridors - Corridor-1 covering 16.59 km from PCMC to Swargate and Corridor-2 covering 14.92km from Vanaz to Ramwadi.

The project, which will provide world class state-of-the-art metro rail system on the pattern of the Delhi Metro, will improve the public transport system in Pune city.

In-principle approval of the project by the government of India will enable the state government to take necessary action required for early implementation of the project.

The Maharashtra government has proposed to implement the project through a special purpose vehicle, equally and jointly owned by the central and state governments.

Following Mumbai and Pune, "orange country" Nagpur will soon become the third city in Maharashtra to have a metro railway.

The state cabinet had last month approved a proposal to construct two elevated metro line corridors linking important locations in the state's second capital in Vidarbha region.

The project will cost around Rs8,680 crore and is expected to be completed in six years, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had said.

"Of the total cost, the centre and state will bear 20 percent each, the Nagpur local bodies will contribute 10 per cent and the remaining 50 per cent will be raised through loans and other sources," he said.

The two lines shall link Automotive Chowk-MIHAN and Prajapati Nagar-Lokmanya Nagar, a distance of around 38 km.