Pune: Four-Year Delay In Shivajinagar Bus Depot Redevelopment Sparks New Controversy
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Pune: More than four years have passed since the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus depot at Shivajinagar was dismantled to make way for the Pune Metro Line-1 and Line-2 projects, yet the development of a new bus facility remains stalled. The bus depot was relocated to a temporary site at the Dairy Development Department’s Wakdewadi, about 1.5 kilometers from the original location, in December 2019.
Under the agreement between Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) and MSRTC, Pune Metro was allocated one acre of the four-acre MSRTC-owned land for an underground metro station. However, the planned redevelopment of the Shivajinagar bus depot under a public-private partnership (PPP) model has yet to materialize.
The delay has prompted former Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Mohan Joshi to threaten protests if the depot is not restored to its original Shivajinagar site. Joshi criticized the Wakdewadi location, citing waterlogging issues during the monsoon season and increased traffic congestion on the Pune-Mumbai highway as significant inconveniences for commuters.
An MSRTC official to a news agency confirmed that Maha-Metro will undertake the development of the new bus depot. “A detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared, and a tender will be floated soon. The project will include a bus station, depot, parking, and staff quarters. We had initially planned for a build-operate-transfer (BoT) model, but low market rates made it unfeasible. With market conditions improving, Maha-Metro now finds the project financially viable,” he stated.
MSRTC has provided 4,500 square meters of land to Maha-Metro, retaining 11,000 square meters for the new facilities. The estimated cost of the project is ₹500 crore, with funding support expected from the state government and profits to be shared on a cost-sharing basis.
Maha-Metro officials indicated that the development might proceed under the PPP model.
