Pune: Chandrakant Patil Pulls Up Officials Over Delay in Balewadi–Kaspate Vasti Road Land Acquisition
Balewadi, 11th February 2026: Frustrated over the decade-long delay in land acquisition for the Balewadi–Kaspate Vasti road in Wakad, Maharashtra’s Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil strongly reprimanded PMC officials, demanding faster execution of the long-pending infrastructure project.
The road, which falls under the Kothrud assembly constituency’s development plan, has remained incomplete due to unresolved land acquisition issues, causing severe inconvenience to residents and worsening traffic congestion in areas such as Baner, Balewadi, Pashan, Sutarwadi, and Someshwarwadi.
Patil chaired a review meeting on Monday at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) with Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram and senior officials to discuss the missing links in Ward No. 9 (Sus–Baner–Pashan belt). After expressing strong dissatisfaction over the pace of work, he directed officials to immediately conduct a site inspection and submit a detailed report.
During the meeting, officials cited technical hurdles, encroachments, and procedural delays in land acquisition. However, Patil remained unconvinced and questioned why the administration was unable to move faster despite the state government allocating funds. “This working style is unacceptable,” he told the Commissioner.
Following his directions, additional commissioners and department heads carried out field inspections covering Balewadi, Baner, Pashan, Someshwarwadi, and Sutarwadi.
Forced Land Acquisition Proposal Ready
To connect Pune with Wakad, a bridge across the Mula River between Balewadi and Kaspate Vasti was built nearly 10 years ago. However, the approach road on the Pune side remains incomplete due to pending land acquisition.
PMC has now prepared a proposal for compulsory land acquisition for the remaining 1.8 km stretch of the 5.4 km High Street–Kaspate Vasti road. The administration plans to pay approximately ₹92 crore in compensation to landowners.
The proposal has been submitted to the District Collector’s Land Acquisition Department. Joint land measurement has already been completed, and the compensation award process is underway. After state government approval, possession of the land will be taken. Officials from the Roads and Land Acquisition Departments said the entire process is expected to be completed within the next two months.
