29/08/2017
PUNE: A day
after Union road transport and shipping minister, Nitin Gadkari, suggested the
idea of starting waterways in Pune city, the municipal corporation has decided
to explore this new concept.
Gadkari was in the city for the foundation stone laying
ceremony of the Rs. 560 crore Integrated Development of Chandani chowk project. According
to PMC commissioner, Kunal Kumar, the civic body has decided to explore the
proposal to see if there is any alternative mode of transport that is feasible
in the city.
“The Union minister has suggested a good concept of waterways
in Mula and Mutha river. There are some issues in it but PMC will try to
explore this concept. As suggested by the minister, PMC will request guardian
minister Girish Bapat to call the meeting with various agencies like irrigation
and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The meeting will
discuss the possibilities of this concept,” municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar
told pune-news.com.
Gadkari said that Pune is facing lot of traffic problems.
There is very little space for road expansion. Considering this, there is a
need to have river transport in the city and it is possible, he added. Gadkari
also said that if PMC allows, the centre will execute this project under
national waterways project. He even suggested PMC to submit the proposal for
it.
Kumar said that the minister’s idea is good but PMC does not
have any project related to it. But it will explore this concept. This project
would involve various agencies and mainly irrigation department. If needed PMC
will prepare the plan for it and submit it to the central government, added the
civic body commissioner.
Meanwhile, when Nationalist Congress party came to power in
the PMC, it also came up with the same idea and announced to start water
transport in Mula and Mutha rivers. The then mayor, Rajlaxmi Bhosale, also took
interest in it. A private consultant, with the help of Maratha Chamber of Commerce,
prepared the presentation for water transport in Pune.
Assistant city engineer,
Srinivas Bonala, said that the water transport proposal was discussed few years
back but it remained only at the conceptual level. PMC did not make any project
report for it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment