The Times of India 08.12.2010
PMC revives riverside road project
PUNE: The controversial project of building a riverside road along the Mutha and Mula rivers, from Shivane to Kharadi -- a distance of 18 km, which had been kept under wraps for two years now, has been revived by the Pune Municipal Corporation, with the civic body inviting fresh bids from private construction firms for the project on Tuesday. Significantly, while the cost of the project three years back was around Rs 105 crore, the same has now increased by a whopping Rs 202 crore to Rs 307 crore.
The PMC is going ahead with the plan, despite the fact that most of the land required for the road is yet to be acquired, and, at some places, it has been encroached upon. The PMC has, however, justified its decision saying that the project was earmarked in the 1987 development plan and that it is a "riverside'' road and not a road in the "riverbed''.
Interestingly, the PMC has left out a 3.8 km road stretch, between Mhatre bridge and Sangamwadi, which is located in the central part of the city. It says the work will be taken up in the next phase as the road is to be connected to the bridges across the river.
The PMC plans to construct the road in two phases, the first being the stretch from Shivane to Mhatre bridge -- a distance of six km -- and the second from Sangamwadi to Kharadi -- a distance of 11.8 km. If the PMC manages to clear all the hurdles and go ahead with its decision, the road will be 30 metres wide and a fully concrete elevated one running along the banks of the Mula and the Mutha rivers. In some places it may narrow down to 24 metres and will be vital link between the Mumbai-Bangalore and the Pune-Ahmednagar highways.
The road will allow commuters from eastern Pune, like Koregaon Park, Lohegaon and Kharadi, reach central Pune much faster. Similarly, it will be a direct link for Kothrud, Karvenagar and Deccan Gymkhana areas to Ahmednagar road. The civic road department believes that the road, if built, would decongest traffic on several major thoroughfares in the city.
Additional city engineer and traffic planner Shriniwas Bonala told TOI that the road will not be built in the riverbed. "The project finds mention in the city's development plan, environmental groups have been opposing a road in the riverbed and not on the riverside," Bonala added.
Asked whether leaving the stretch between Mhatre bridge and Sangamwadi would make the entire project redundant, Bonala said work on the stretch would be taken up in the second phase as it involves linking the road to the bridges and the existing roads. A detailed project report for the proposed road is ready, he added.
