Pune News: Push to complete land acquisition for western phase of ring road by June-end

The district administration has approached the state government for the rapid disbursal of funds to complete the land acquisition for the western phase of the 188.42km Pune ring road project by the end of June. The eastern ring road is 71.35km long, while the western ring road spans 65.45km. The project will involve acquiring land from 82 villages—34 for the western part and 48 for the eastern part—before construction begins.

Senior district officials reported on Wednesday that a proposal has been submitted to the state government to expedite the compensation payments. Earlier, the state government had approved Rs 3,500 crore from HUDCO to be allocated for this phase.

The officials emphasized that the prompt release of funds is crucial to completing the land acquisition process for the western phase, enabling the commencement of construction. “Most of our officials were involved in election work, which delayed the process a bit. However, the work is expected to gain momentum after the election,” a senior official from the district’s land acquisition department stated.

For the western phase, 645 hectares need to be acquired, with almost 93% of the land acquisition already completed. The remaining land is expected to be acquired by the end of June. The district administration requires Rs 2,905 crore for the project’s land acquisition and has already paid Rs 1,724 crore in compensation to the beneficiaries. So far, it has received Rs 1,897 crore for the western phase.

The western ring road will pass through Bhor, Haveli, Mulshi, and Maval talukas, while the eastern ring road will traverse Maval, Khed, Haveli, Purandar, and Bhor talukas. The ring road is anticipated to significantly ease traffic congestion on Pune’s city roads.