Pune Metro update

The Maharashtra state government has endorsed the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) stand to build the 14.925-km second corridor of the metro railway from Vanaz on Paud road to Ramwadi on Ahmednagar road without waiting for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s go-ahead. “The first corridor runs between the PMC and the PCMC limits. The PCMC has not responded to the PMC’s proposal. If the PMC needs a metro quickly and cannot wait for the PCMC to decide, the state has no problems,” urban development department’s (UDD) principal secretary T C Benjamin said. A high-powered committee led by state chief secretary J P Dange will look into the project which will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had recommended its model for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The report suggested the execution of the project on two corridors. The first corridor is from the PCMC building to Swargate while the second will run from Vanaz to Ramwadi. The 75-km project encompasses Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad involving both civic bodies. However, the PMC will build the second corridor, which falls in its jurisdiction, first and not wait for the PCMC’s consent. The PCMC had recently sought a detailed project report from the DMRC for the metro which would fall in its area. The PMC standing committee had decided to build the metro railway on the Vanaz-Ramwadi corridor last month. The project will cost Rs 2,281 crore (including taxes). The civic body will contribute 10 per cent and get 40 per cent from the state and the Centre and source the rest from private players. “The state government is okay with PMC’s stand. The standing committee has already approved the resolution to implement the project in the second corridor. The state government has asked the PMC to place the proposal before the general body for discussion and then forward it to us. We will place the proposal before the cabinet so that execution of the project can start immediately,” Benjamin said. “With the state, the Centre and the PMC’s contribution, the loan component needed could fetch sufficient funds for the execution of the second corridor. The standing committee has also resolved that the metro corridor be extended to Kharadi and Chandannagar,” he added. Standing committee chairman Arvind Shinde, said, “The proposal for the metro railway from Vanaz to Ramwadi has been placed before the general body. It will be approved as soon as possible.” The civic body wants local representation in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). “Local representation will sort out any problems in the project. We are mulling the structure of the SPV,” said Shinde. An SPV called the ‘Pune Metro Rail Corporation (PMRC)’ will be formed as per the Companies Act, 1956 and representatives of the state and central government would be appointed as directors. Benjamin said the proposal for the SPV has not yet been forwarded by the civic body. “The project has already been delayed. The state will not keep any proposal pending,” he added. The final draft submitted to the PMC by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in June 2009 says that the state government was to approve the plan in June, while the central government was to give its consent by August. A tendering system was scheduled for October 2009, after which work was to begin. The plan perceived the metro for Pune by May 30, 2014, while the total 75-km network for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad would be ready by the end of 2014.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
May 2006: Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar says he will look into a metro rail project for Pune, provided the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations submitted a combined plan.
November 2006 : A proposal is tabled before the PMC’s standing committee to get a detailed project report from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) to implement the metro.
August 2007: Municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi says the PMC will not opt for an underground metro rail system as it was very costly.
May 2009: Civic activists, town planners and experts oppose the PMC’s move that envisaged 4 FSI for a 500m area on either sides of the 31.5 km proposed route.
June 2009: The DMRC submits a final draft for the metro rail project to the civic body recommending its model for Pune as it had an edge over the public-private partnership (PPP) and build-operate-transfer (BOT) models.
August 2009: Chief minister Ashok Chavan assures funding for the project.
December 2009: The Pune Metro Sahakarya Samiti (PMSS), a citizens’ forum comprising transport experts, writes to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee asking him to look into the ‘technology scam’ in the Pune metro project.
January 2010: The standing committee of the PMC approves the DPR. The general body too okays the DPR. All parties including the NCP, Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena and MNS support the proposal.
February 2010: The metro proposal finds no mention in Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget speech. Allocations are made for the Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai projects.
March 2010 : The standing committee resolves to begin the metro railway on the proposed 14.925 km corridor from Vanaz to Ramwadi. The Pune Technical Coalition (PTC), a conglomeration of architects, engineers, town planners, builders and other organisations demands that the shortcomings be addressed. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) asks the DMRC to prepare a project report for the metro route along the Pune-Mumbai highway which falls within the PCMC limits.
April 2010: The PMC standing committee decides that a special purpose vehicle be formed to implement the project. Kuldeep Singh, a consultant for the Delhi and Bangalore projects, says Pune’s project is “devoid of options and needs an intelligent appraisal”.

PCMC building to Swargate -Underground: 5.019 km Elevated: 11.570 km Total: 16.589 km Stations: Nine elevated and six underground Status: Put on hold by the PMC

Vanaz to Ramwadi Underground: Nil Elevated: 14.925 km Stations: 15 elevated ones Status: The PMC’s standing committee has approved the project The project cost- The second corridor between Vanaz and Ramwadi will cost Rs 1,948 crore (excluding taxes) and Rs 2,281 crore (including taxes). As per the detailed project report (DPR), the PCMC and the PMC were to contribute 5 per cent each to the project. However, the PMC will contribute 10 per cent, while the state and the Centre will contribute 20 per cent each. The remaining 50 per cent will be sourced from private players.