PMC approaches NHAI for HCMTR

PUNE: Civic body has approached the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for getting technical support and financial aid for the High Mass Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) project, a 37-kilometre elevated road to ease traffic congestion. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) made a presentation to NHAI officials on Friday.

Pune corporation has given priority to HCMTR project in the year 2019-20. PMC Commissioner Saurabh Rao has also made provision of Rs 211 crore in their draft budget of 2019-20. Besides that, administration has suggested option to use premium Floor Space Index (FSI) to raise funds for the project, whose estimated cost is Rs 6,646 crore. Rao along with Additional Municipal Commissioner Bipin Sharma, City Engineer Prashant Waghmare and Road Department Officials, visited Delhi on Friday and sought financial and technical support. Dinesh Gojare, engineer of the Road Department, said, “NHAI has experience in executing big projects across the country. NHAI has also given some suggestion to the corporation.”

Meanwhile, City Improvement Committee (CIC) members visited actual sites of HCMTR route. CIC Chairman Sushil Mengade, Avinash Bagwe, Umesh Gaikwad and Ajay Khedekar along with Road Department Officials took a round of HCMTR route.

CRUX OF THE  MATTER
- HCMTR is a six-lane project with centralised Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) of 37 kilometres length and 24 metres width. 
- Separate lanes will be made for heavy vehicles and four-wheelers with minimum 50-kilometre speed.
- Two and three-wheeler vehicles will not be allowed on this route. 
- For the total project, the civic body needs 68.03 hectares land. 
- At present, they have got 15 hectares of private land through Transfer Development Rights (TDR).