Pune Municipal Corporation will start developing Wakad bypass-Sangvi bridge section at Mula River

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a new tender worth ₹ 303 crore for developing the right bank of the Mula river and has begun work on the section from Wakad bypass to Sangvi bridge. The earlier tender was withdrawn six months ago due to differences in the funding approaches of PCMC and PMC. This is a portion of the public-private partnership (PPP)-based riverfront development project (RFD), which is funded in part by development credit notes.

On March 21, the PMC project department released a ₹303 crore tender for work on the section of river from the Wakad bypass to the Sangavi bridge. According to Surendra Karpe, deputy engineer, PMC project department, credit notes will be used in the execution of the tender. The PCMC has also released a ₹312 crore tender for the development of the Mula river’s left bank. A determination will be made following the polls, as the model code of conduct has come into effect prior to the Lok Sabha (LS) elections. The PCMC intends to provide direct funding for the development of the river’s left bank.

According to PMC officials, contracts totaling ₹700 crore have been granted for the river segments connecting Bund Garden and Mundhwa bridge to Sangamwadi. The PMC will give Jaykumar Contract a credit note for ₹400 crore out of the ₹700 crore. Three years are allotted to finish the section from Sangamwadi to Mundhwa bridge, which is comparable to the Wakad bypass to Sangavi bridge stretch.

The project has been broken down into phases, with the first phase receiving ₹700 crore in funding. It will eventually switch to a PPP model. For the sections between Bund Garden and Mundhwa bridge and Sangamwadi and Bund Garden, the PMC has so far expended ₹300 crore.

Officials from the local government claim that the Mula-Mutha river crosses 44 kilometers in various places. The PMC intends to invest ₹20 crore per kilometer, which is expected to take more than five years, in riverfront development. Approximately 650 hectares of land have been set aside for the green belt’s development, with financial contributions from private parties. The government owns just 75 hectares of the riverfront land; the remaining land will be charged development fees.