Kaustubh Kulkarni

Underutilisation of funds worth Rs 1,400 crore sanctioned under the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), uncertainty on the proposed Rs 300-crore ring road for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and the re-carpeting of Pune airport runway adversely impacting air traffic. That's just a peek into the issues that dominated Pune s civil infrastructure scenario this year.

. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 7,200 crore under JNNURM for various development projects in the city, including Rs 1,400 crore for the execution of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system, construction of roads for the Commonwealth Youth Games and low-cost housing for people. But the PMC has failed to initiate some of these projects while the much-hyped BRT still remains incomplete.

A number of road and railway over-bridge projects are stuck due to land acquisition. While the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) completed the three-year-old flyover project along Ganeshkhind Road, it also proposed a Rs 1,700-crore Integrated Road Development Project (IRDP) for both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The project, however, has not taken off as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) are yet to approve the proposal to collect cess on fuel to raise funds.

The state government also pitched in and suggested construction of a 60-metre-wide ring road around the two industrial cities of Maharashtra. Full Story...

Posted by dcjaya at December 31, 2007 1:05 AM