Pune: PMC Reduces Width Plan Of Katraj-Kondhwa Road, Land Acquisition Budget Reduced By Rs 538 Crores

Pune, 28th July 2022: Despite four years of efforts, only 28 per cent of the widening of Katraj Kondhwa road has been completed. The work is at a standstill due to the non-acquisition of land. Therefore, since the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to make this road 50 meters wide instead of 84 meters, the hurdle of land acquisition can be removed to a great extent. Also, the cost of land acquisition will come down from Rs 815 crores to Rs 277 crores. Therefore, the cost of land acquisition will be reduced by Rs 538 crores.

Katraj-Kondhwa road is important as a connecting road to Solapur highway and Mumbai-Kolhapur highway and the most important road for heavy traffic. As the existing 32-meter road is insufficient for traffic, PMC started widening it without acquiring land at this place and then ordered to take out the tender for the work and start the work.

But due to not getting proper compensation, the owners decided not to hand over the land. Despite many meetings, only 66 thousand square meters out of 288 thousand square meters have been occupied in four years. Out of this, 46 thousand square meters of land have been paid through TDR.

Since the compensation received from TDR is minimal, the land owners have demanded compensation in cash only. If everyone is paid, it will cost around Rs 815 crore. As this cost is not affordable by the PMC, the municipal corporation has given options like TDR, and credit notes, but the land owners have rejected these options.

Commissioner Vikram Kumar recently inspected the Katraj Kondhwa road to solve the problem of land acquisition. In the development plan, this road is shown as 84 meters, but as it is impossible to develop it completely at once, it was ordered to make it 50 meters in the first phase. Accordingly, he ordered to prepare its plan. Making this road 50 meters wide will cost Rs 277 crores for land acquisition. A proposal is going to be sent to the government that Rs 200 crores should be given by the state government as a special matter, so the municipal corporation will have to spend only Rs 77 crores.

Kajtra Kondhwa road widening project cost of land acquisition is Rs 815 crore and actual work is Rs 175 crore. With 28 per cent completed so far, there is a balance of at least Rs 125 crore for this project.

Current State Of Land Acquisition:

Total area required – 2,88,120 Sq. Mt

Existing Road – 58,860 Sq. Mt

Occupied area – 66,162 Sq. Mt

Unoccupied area – 1,25,022 Sq. Mt