PMC fines Pune Metro over unauthorized excavation on Satara Road

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has sent a notice to Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) and issued a fine for carrying out excavation works without permission on Satara Road for the underground extension of the Pune Metro from Swargate to Katraj.

It is worthy to note that the central government is yet to authorize the 5.4-kilometre Swargate to Katraj underground metro extension project plan, despite it having been accepted by the state government in April 2022 and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in September 2021.

In addition to conducting soil testing along the designated route, a tender has been issued to hire a design consultant for the Pune Metro underground project’s architecture and tunnel ventilation systems. For soil testing, pits are excavated every 100 meters along the five kilometers long and sixty meters broad Satara Road, from the Panchami Hotel to Bharati Vidyapeeth. The purpose of the testing is to assess the soil’s suitability for the planned building.

An engineer from the PMC road department stated, “We have imposed a fine of ₹6,000 per square foot as per rule. Maha-Metro has filed a request for authorization to excavate a road.”

For the corridor, the Maha-Metro has produced a thorough project study for the corridor. The project costs Rs 3,668 crore with the state government contributing ₹891 crore, PMC ₹655 crore, and the state government seeking ₹300 crore from the center. Pune Metro intends to use soft loans to raise 1,803 crore.

Residents of Padmavati, Gul Tekdi, Market Yard, Dhankawadi, Bibwewadi, Balaji Nagar, Sainath Nagar, Katraj, and Ambegaon will benefit from the expanded underground Pune Metro section from Swargate to Katraj.