Pune Metro failed to move ahead during UPA regime, when Ajit Pawar was guardian minister: Mohol

Pune: City Member of Parliament (MP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary Muralidhar Mohol on Thursday claimed that the city’s Metro project proposal failed to move ahead in the 2001–2014 period when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power at Centre and Ajit Pawar was the district guardian minister. Delays in approvals also led to cost escalation from Rs8,000 crore to Rs 10,183 crore, said Mohol, adding that the then-united Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) pushed for an underground Metro in the city at the time. However, after it was learnt that the cost of an elevated Metro was less, NCP supported a proposal for a mixed project, he said.

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Ajit Pawar, while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, said Pune’s Metro project was approved during then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s regime. To this, Mohol countered, “The Union Cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi approved Pune Metro’s Phase 1 on Dec 7, 2016. The groundbreaking was held on Dec 24, 2016, in the PM’s presence. The Metro project progressed thereafter. The first stretch of Metro was launched on March 6, 2022, by PM Modi. The Hinjewadi–Shivajinagar Metro stretch was approved in Feb 2018 and work was launched in Nov 2018.” The BJP, in its manifesto for the upcoming civic polls, included expansion of the Metro project for the next five years. The party leadership claimed that the project was pushed to the fast-track during the BJP regime. Former chief minister and Congress functionary Prithviraj Chavan, however, said that documents of Pune Metro’s approval are available, adding that the project was sanctioned when Kamal Nath was Union minister for urban development. Along with Mumbai and Pune, Nagpur, being the second capital of the state, was also given consideration, said Chavan. He added that no question arises of taking credit for the project.

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