Corporators ask for ring road project (TOI,30-sep-2003)

PUNE: The civic standing committee meeting on Tuesday postponed the decision on the contentious move to dereserve a prime plot of land in Bibvewadi,
reserved for the Ring Railway project, following a vehement protest by the opposition by the corporators. BJP corporators Vikas Mathkari and Ujwal Keskar challenged the administration’s proposal to de-reserve the plot arguing that the administration can utilise the plots set aside for the Ring Railway project for a “ring road” project! The TOI had on Tuesday published a report pointing out that the ambitious ring railway project, prepared by the Pune Municipal Corporation and railway authorities in 1987 to link the suburban areas with each other by a local train, is likely to be scrapped. Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Kumar had tabled a proposal seeking the approval of the standing committee to de-reserve a 7000 square meter plot in Bibvewadi, which was set aside for the ring railway project in the 1987 Development Plan of Pune. The commissioner had justified the move to delete the reservation arguing that the land owners, M/s C V shah and M/s A V Bhat had given a purchase notice to the PMC asking it to acquire the land by paying them compensation. Also, the railway authorities have stated that they have no immediate plans to undertake the Ring railway project. Speaking to reporters, Keskar and Mathkari pointed out that around three lakh square meters of land in the city has been reserved in the DP for the Ring railway project. “ If this proposal is cleared then all other land owners will apply to the PMC to get their reserved lands freed,” they said. They have challenged the administration’s move to consider the purchase notice of one plot owner in isolation. The administration should have table a proposal before the general body to take a policy decision regarding the entire Ring Railway project. Also, as the project is mentioned in the DP, the PMC administration should call suggestions and objections from citizens before scrapping the project and releasing the reserved land to the owners, they have argued. Acting on the demand of the two corporators, the standing committee has asked the administration to table a report on the present status of this three lakh square meters of land which is under reservation and can the PMC acquire the same. “ If it is not feasible to execute the Ring railway project the administration should explore the possibility of a ring road project instead,” Mathkari and Keskar have demanded. Meanwhile, the standing committee meeting on Tuesday sanctioned Rs 50 lakh, to be paid as fees to the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC), for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for introducing sky-bus system in Pune city.