The tender deadline for two of the four proposed Pune Metro extensions has been pushed back to December 30, according to Hindustan Times. The Nal Stop-Manik Baug and Kharadi-Khadakwasla corridors have had their bid deadline extended eight times since the process began in December of the previous year. The reported reason is that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Maha-Metro have not yet settled several technical and financial issues.
The Vanaz-Chandani Chowk and Ramwadi-Wagholi extensions are moving toward implementation, the report says. The foundation stones for all four extensions were laid on Tuesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the same source.
Nal Stop-Manik Baug corridor
On this corridor, the PMC has proposed two flyovers at Ambedkar Chowk and Karve statue. Maha-Metro has submitted a cost proposal for the two flyovers, but the civic body has objected, saying the estimate is nearly 1.5 times higher than its own assessment. According to Dinkar Gojare, chief engineer at the PMC, discussions are underway to resolve the cost issue. Atul Gadgil, director (projects) at Maha-Metro, said the civic body has not yet taken a decision on the proposal.
Kharadi-Khadakwasla corridor
This corridor is affected by the proposed High-Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR). Nearly two kilometres of the HCMTR would run along the metro corridor. Maha-Metro says it has not yet received the final HCMTR alignment from the PMC, which makes it difficult to finalise the corridor design. An earlier flyover proposed at the Dandekar bridge junction has been dropped, and officials indicate that existing ramps near Pu La Deshpande Garden and Nilayam-Party Plaza junction would be sufficient for traffic. Double-decker infrastructure, with the metro on the upper deck and road traffic below, is also being considered on select stretches, including between Pu La Deshpande Garden and Lakshminarayana chowk.
What remains open
Maha-Metro invited tenders for the two corridors on June 26. According to the report, repeated changes in proposals, design revisions and pending decisions have caused the repeated extensions, which now total six months. The PMC commissioner and Maha-Metro's managing director are expected to meet soon to decide which agency will execute the HCMTR work and how the cost will be shared. Several technical aspects, including alignment levels and road crossings, have progressed, but financial commitments, cost-sharing and formal approvals are still pending, according to Hindustan Times.