Central government approves Pune Metro project in principle

He met and discussed the project possibilities with a delegation led by Pune Mayor Vaishali Bankar and others.

A source with the delegation said that if everything goes well, work on the first Metro Railway path might start from March this year. The minister also gave assurance to make provision of Rs 1,600 crore in the union budget for the project.

At the table: City MP Suresh Kalmadi, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath during the meeting with the delegation in Delhi yesterday

"The money will be handed over the municipal corporation after its formal approval in the House," Nath said.

He also promised to help the mix of Mono Rail with Metro, which may be more practical for a city like Pune.u00a0