Pimpri-Chinchwad: An important meeting was held on Wednesday by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase regarding the inner ring road planned
around Pune to solve the traffic congestion problem.
Dr Mhase personally reviewed the progress of phases one, two, three, and four of the inner ring road and ordered that proposals for the land acquisition process should be sent to the Pune District Collector’s office immediately. The land acquisition process and exact measurements are becoming a problem as local farmers are reluctant to give the land away easily to the governing agencies.
The land acquisition process for villages in Phase One of the inner ring road (Solu to Nirgudi) is currently in its final stages, officials said. PMRDA Chief Dr Mhase directed officials to immediately hold meetings with the farmers concerned to discuss giving them Floor Space Index (FSI) and Transferable Development Rights (TDR).
PMRDA PRO Dr Dnyaneshwar Bhale said, "The PMRDA Commissioner also enquired about the land acquisition process for the proposed road to ease traffic congestion in the Hinjawadi and Chakan areas. The current status of land acquisition, water pipeline relocation, and signal system installation in the Navale Bridge area to manage the growing traffic congestion problem was also reviewed. All the involved departments have been ordered to complete the work by October."
The meeting was attended by PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Yogesh Mhase, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Deepak Singla, Pune Police Addl. Commissioner Manoj Patil, Director of Development Permission and Planning Department Avinash Patil, Joint Commissioner of Land and Property Department Himmat Kharade, Superintendent of Land Records Department Asha Jadhav, Superintendent Engineer Shivprasad Bagdi, Land Acquisition Coordination Officers, as well as senior officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Public Works Department (PWD), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), and other local governing agencies.
Pune's Inner Ring Road
- Managed by PMRDA, it will be an eight-lane expressway with two-lane service roads.
- It is planned to interconnect major areas, including Pune International Airport in Lohgaon, Hinjawadi IT Park, Chakan MIDC, and 29 other key areas within Pune District.
- The total planned length is 83 km, which will surround Pune City in a circular way. The right of way (ROW) is 65 metres, allowing for high-speed vehicular flow up to 120 kmph.
- The estimated total cost of this project is about ₹14,200 crore, which will include two railway overbridges, 11 tunnels covering 12.62 km, 17 major bridges, and nine interchanges.
- The project aims to decongest city traffic, support urban expansion, and improve regional connectivity across nine talukas.
Setbacks Persist in PMRDA's Inner Ring Road Project
The major problem PMRDA is facing is the land acquisition process, according to various reports. It has been time-consuming and costly, as over 1,500 hectares of land will reportedly be acquired. Financial problems, acquiring licences, and obtaining environmental clearance certificates are also major issues. Several villages along the route have also raised objections to this project. They fear possible displacement, loss of farmland, and inadequate rehabilitation. Some farmers expressed concern that they won’t get their compensation on time, citing examples of farmers who suffered during the expansion of Hinjawadi and other IT areas.
