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Known as the two-wheeler capital of the country and the Detroit of India, Pune's traffic woes are worsening by the day.
But city planners and politicians continue to battle over ambitious projects that refuse to take off and are caught in never-ending controversies and escalating costs. While half a dozen Indian cities - including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurgaon and Jaipur - now boast of some kind of a metro system, the Pune Metro is still on the drawing boards.
Differences between political parties, government leaders, elected officials, urban activists and bureaucrats have led to inordinate delays in launching the Pune Metro, the detailed project report (DPR) for which was produced by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) way back in 2008.
After the BJP government came to power last year, it pushed ahead with clearances for the Nagpur Metro, work on which has already begun. But internecine fights between political leaders (even those from within the same party) over executing the metro continue to hold this city to ransom.
Even after so many years, the authorities have failed to reach a consensus on whether Pune should have an elevated or underground metro. While a group of activists are strongly opposed to the existing plan of a combination of an elevated corridor and an underground network for the proposed metro, critics have lashed out at them for raising obstacles and delaying this crucial infrastructure project.
Millions of commuters in Pune have to suffer because of the endless debates, which have led to the project virtually being stalled. But the activists are on the defensive and claim they are not opposed to progress.
Sujit Patwardhan, founder member and trustee, Parisar, an NGO, and a vehement opponent of the proposed metro in its current form, told Khaleej Times that by 2030 the metro would cater to the needs of just 750,000 people in Pune.
"The DMRC has no answer as to whether the new system will reduce congestion on the streets of Pune," says Patwardhan. "The government, however, wants to bulldoze its way and execute the project despite the opposition."
According to Patwardhan, the metro is useful when long distances are covered, but it would not attract motorists if the routes are short. "The metro, which will cost Rs100 billion, will benefit only some people in Pune, but will not reduce the number of cars on our roads," he says.
Arun Firodia, chairman, Kinetic group, a leading manufacturer of two-wheeler - who is also a governing council member of Janwani, which is part of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce - is also opposed to the current route of the Pune Metro. With the government planning to invest Rs100 billion on the project, it must spend the amount wisely, after taking into consideration the various stakeholders, he says.
Anil Shirole, the BJP MP from Pune, has also been an opponent of the project, and has been backing demands for a new DPR. He also favours having an underground metro. But Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior minister Girish Bapat (who is also the guardian minister for Pune) are all for the Pune Metro.
Both Fadnavis and Bapat have ruled out the possibility of reviewing the project by having a new DPR made and have declared the government would go ahead with the first phase linking Pimpri-Chinchwad and Swargate.
Fadnavis recently commented sarcastically that Pune being a city of intellectuals, all issues are debated and dissected in detail, whereas a city like Nagpur - his hometown - has no differences and projects are executed swiftly. Expectedly, his comments riled his critics, who are now determined that the metro will not rollout soon in Pune.
> A consensus has not been reached on whether Pune should have an elevated or underground metro
> No answer if the new system will reduce congestion
> The government looks keen execute the project despite opposition
nithin@khaleejtimes.com
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