Ajit Pawar's metro gets wide support

Pune Metro Jagruti Abhiyan (PMJA) on Monday applauded deputy chief minister and leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ajit Pawar for his insistence on having an underground metro railway project in the city.

In a statement, the association of activists said that only underground metro is suitable for Pune but Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) had recommended elevated metro.

PMJA convenor Vinita Deshmukh, co-conveners Prashant Inamdar and Girish Deshpande were present. Pawar had said in the city on Saturday that the NCP had earlier supported elevated metro in view of the cost of the project, but insisted on underground option after considering the problems of elevated metro in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Industrialist Arun Firodiya said in a press conference on behalf of the PMJA that the basic capital cost of underground metro is higher than elevated metro. But considering various social, economic and environmental factors, the cost per kilometre per passenger is almost the same for both the modes.

He said that the extra cost for construction of underground metro would be compensated by developing markets at the metro stations.

Firodiya said that underground metro has many advantages as no disturbance to traffic during construction, no massive land acquisition required, shortest possible length of route and location at any convenient place, higher safety level, connectivity for future expansions and no cutting of trees required.