Pune: Balbharati-Paud Phata Road Project On Vetal Hill Halted After Pressure From Citizens
Pune, 11th April 2023: Various citizen groups opposing the Balbharati-Paud Phata road have formed the Vetal Hill Rescue Action Committee to demand cancellation of the project on the hill. They want Vetal Hill to be declared a natural heritage site and not a development area.
On Monday (April 10), the committee met with Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil to discuss their demands. Former MLA Medha Kulkarni facilitated the meeting. Representatives of the committee, including Sumita Kale, Prajakta Divekar, Harshad Abhyankar, Sushma Date, Pradeep Ghumre, Avanti Gadgil, Gauri Mehendale, and Angad Patwardhan were present.
According to reports, the Balbharti-Paud Phata Road, Panchvati Sutardara Gokhalenagar Tunnel Project, and SCMTR were proposed to solve traffic congestion. However, a thorough study of available reports found that this claim was false.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) included these projects in Pune’s development plan without any scientific evaluation. Furthermore, information about these projects is not available on the municipal website. The committee questions why the municipality is rushing to complete the project, taking a tender of Rs 300 crore, without considering citizens’ views.
The committee urged Patil to consider citizens’ opinions before making any decision that could harm the hill. Patil informed the committee that he had ordered the municipal corporation to wait until the new general assembly is held after the municipal election.
Join Punekar News Whatsapp Group, Telegram, Instagram And Twitter For Regular Update about Pune City And Pimpri-Chinchwad
