Pune misses out on metro once again

In budget allocation for development of Mass Rapid Transport System, Pune was not mentioned

Pune misses out on metro once again

In budget allocation for development of Mass Rapid Transport System, Pune was not mentioned

YET again there was no mention of Pune in the budget announced for the development and extension of Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS).

In the interim budget presented yesterday, Rs 11,842 crore was allocated for the development and extension of MRTS in cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.
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Need of the hour

Surprisingly, Pune has been left out. Dr Sudhir Rashingkar, executive member of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture (MCCIA), said, "Pune is a developing city.

It is the second largest industrial hub in India, only next to Mumbai. Keeping this in mind, there was a dire need for improved infrastructure.

The improvement pf transport for the industrial sector in the city is also long awaited. But sadly Pune has not been included, when the development and extension plan for MRTS was announced."

Rs 11,842 crore

In the interim budget, Pranab Mukherjee proposed an allocation of Rs 11,842 crore for six metros for MRTS under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Under JNNURM, 386 projects amounting to Rs 39,000 crore were sanctioned on December 31, 2008.

Sujit Patwardhan of the Pune Traffic Transportation Forum said, "The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) hasu00a0 a budget of Rs 2,200 crore. And only Rs 30 crore was spent on buying new buses, where as around Rs 1,600 crore was allocated for flyovers, which will only boost the use of private vehicles."
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"No thrust has been given by the PMC to improve public transport system. Taking this into consideration, we have no right to ask the Centre to fund MRTS, given the fact that our Corporation is not ready to spend from its own pocket, which is already cash-rich," he added.