Metro project in Pune will be done in 5 years: Mahesh Pathak

Municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak said on Saturday that the Pune metro rail project will be completed within five years. He was speaking to media persons after city MP Suresh Kalmadi met him to review various development works.

The state cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the ambitious metro rail project of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and approved the 14.925-km elevated route from Vanaz to Ramwadi on Ahmednagar Road.

The cabinet also decided to set up Pune Metro Rail Corporation (PMRC) to execute the project which will be completed within five years.

Pathak said to implement the project smoothly and take policy decisions, a high-powered committee headed by the chief secretary will be formed by the state government.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs2,593 crore. “The 10% of the total project cost will be contributed by the PMC  while the state and Centre will contribute 20% each. The remaining 50% funds will be raised by the Special Purpose Vehicle using various options like build-operate and transfer (BOT) and public private partnership (PPP),” Pathak said.

“PMRC will have its main depot at Kothrud where a garbage depot was located earlier. We have sent a letter to the chief secretary to start the project as soon as possible,’’ he said.