Once Again Proposal For Flyover On Pune-Shirur Highway Floated, This Time Cost Rises To Rs 2900 Crore

Mrunal Jadhav

Pune, October 2, 2020: The Pune-Shirur highway continues to grapple with traffic congestion at Koregaon Bhima. The ultimate solution suggested to solve this problem was by constructing a 26 km long flyover from Pune to Shikrapur. However, the proposal hasn’t been approved yet.

The Pune-Nagar Road is a very important highway connecting Vidarbha, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra and Mumbai. Nonetheless, the industrialisation at Sanaswadi, Ranjangaon Ganpati along Pune-Shikrapur-Shirur road has also led to an increase in traffic on this path. Presently, from Pune to Shikrapur Municipal boundary, it is an eight-lane road and from Shikrapur-Malthan Phata– a four-lane road. As a permanent solution, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Public Work Department (PWD) have proposed a 26 km long flyover between Pune and Shikrapur at an estimated cost of Rs 2,900 crore.

First proposal was of Rs 2,500 crore

Earlier, during the tenure of MLA Ashok Pawar, a similar flyover costing a worth of Rs 2,500 crore was proposed. However, the proposal on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) principle was halted at that time, posing a possibility of hefty toll charges. The proposal which was Rs 2,500 crore at that time has now increased up to Rs 2,900 crore.

Alternate solution

The Pune to Shikrapur highway can be transferred to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and road tax should be levied on other commercial heavy vehicles except for light vehicles like cars, jeeps or buses. Otherwise, the right to collect road tax for the next 10 years on Pune-Shirur road should be given to the contractor and the work of highway improvement and flyover should be undertaken by raising funds through it. 

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