Three proposed highways will reduce traffic congestion in Pune: Fadnavis

Pune, Jul 18 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that three major highways proposed to be constructed in Pune will reduce the traffic congestion that is currently being faced in the city. Fadnavis was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the three highways, where Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and several other ministers were present. Pune-Shirur, Hadapsar-Yavat, and Talegaon-Chakan-Shikrapur are these three proposed highways. "Pune faces severe traffic congestion. It takes a long time to move within the city and to exit it. To resolve this issue, we are constructing three major highways. A new model for road development has been introduced in the construction of these three highways," Fadnavis said. Under this innovative approach, the state government will receive upfront premium of Rs 500 crore, Rs 300 crore and Rs 150 crore respectively. This model has been designed to help fund the acquisition of required land for the projects, he added. The CM also stated that a major share of vehicles can bypass Pune city by using these highways, and help reduce congestion. On the upcoming Purandar international airport in Pune district, he said, "Land acquisition for the project has been completed, setting a national record as the fastest land acquisition process for this kind of a venture." The government aims to ensure that both the Metro rail and road connectivity to the Purandar airport are completed alongside. "Although the completion target for these highways is 2030, the term of our government is 2029. We intend to return to power, but we want these projects to be completed as early as possible," he said, adding that the Purandar airport is expected to increase Pune's GDP by two to three per cent. PTI COR NP