Kalyani Nagar locals miffed with Metro route change

Kalyani Nagar locals miffed with Metro route change

PUNE: Residents of Kalyani Nagar, Nagpur Chawl and Yerwada formed a human chain at Shastri Nagar Chowk on Saturday and protested against the change of alignment of Line 2 of Metro (Civic court to Ramwadi). It has been deviated from Nagar Road to Kalyani Nagar as The National Monument Authority (NMA) denied permission for Pune Metro Rail work opposite the Aga Khan Palace which is a protected monument.

As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958 which was amended in 2010, no construction is allowed within 100 metre radius of any nationally protected monument. Aga Khan Palace was declared as a nationally protected monument in 2003.

The residents are not pleased with the decision and had filed several petition with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and MahaMetro against it.

Nikhil Karia, a resident of Water Front Society said, “There is already so much traffic in Kalyani Nagar, if the Metro comes here, it will a big nuisance. It is a residential area and if the Metro comes here, where will people walk? A lot of tree cutting is already happening that will also destroy the eco-system.” He further said, “We have filed several petitions against the decision with the PMC and Metro officials, but still no action has been taken.”

Sathya Natrajan, a resident and tree act expert, said, “The amount of construction which will happen will destroy the ecosystem of Dr Salim Ali Bird sanctuary, which is non-negotiable.”

“Kalyani Nagar is already congested and lanes are very narrow and this area is the only green patch we have and we want to preserve it. Metro in Kalyani Nagar would not be of any help, as a lot of people have four-wheelers and they will hardly make use of Metro,” said Meghana Baphana.

Raja Narasimhan, another resident, said, “The diversion of Metro from Nagar Road to Kalyani Nagar is a decision taken in haste without even realising its permanent consequences on the residents and riders.” He further said, “It will permanently increase the running distance by 900 metres and also it will go through the most used narrow access road for Pune airport making traffic messier for everyone.”

Viren Bhatt, a resident, said, “If the Metro comes on Nagar Road, it will have more riders. There are many people who stay in Shastri Nagar and Nagpur Chawl, who are actually going to use Metro and they will have easy access to it. This decision apart from creating nuisance for Kalyani Nagar residents, is also creating inconvenience for other prospective riders of Metro.”

Hemant Sonawane, General Manager, Public Relations, Pune Metro, said “We know about the issue and we have heard the concerns of the residents and we will make sure that their problems are taken care of.” He added, “The Metro route has to be deviated from Nagar Road to Kalyani Nagar because of Aga Khan Palace. Hence, this was the best alternative which can be done in this situation. This decision was taken after a discussion between PMC and Metro officials and we are also trying to accommodate the concerns of the residents. As far as Dr Salim Ali Bird sanctuary is concerned, the Metro will pass near the sanctuary but we will take care that ecological balance will not get disturbed.”

“As far as tree cutting is concerned, it has nothing to do with Metro work as we have not started work in that area as of now, “ he added.

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