The district land acquisition officers have placed a demand for Rs3,500 crore before the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for commencing the land acquisition process for the western phase of the proposed 170km Pune Ring road.
The proposed ring road is expected to decongest Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The compensation amount has been fixed for 32 villages in the four talukas. Land acquisition officers said that the process could commence next month once the amount is sanctioned.
“The rates were finalised for 316.8 hectares in these 32 villages in four talukas of Haveli, Bhor, Mulshi,Maval and Khed. This is part of the western phase and we hope to complete finalising the compensation rates for the remaining villages, too. We hope to start the process of taking consent and acquiring the land once we receive the compensation amount,” said a senior land acquisition officer from the Pune district administration. He said that the process was likely start from February 15, once the amount is received from the MSRDC, and expected to be completed by March.
Land acquisition officers are planning to hold special camps for villagers to sign consent letters. Once the amount is received, the compensation will be given either by cheque on the same day or in some days, depending on the legal documentation, added the official. The administration has taken into consideration the total area of the land parcel, trees, houses, and other assets so that the farmers can be given full compensation for their properties.
The ring road project, which is divided into east and west zones, will be completed in two phases. The total land acquisition cost is likely to be Rs10,520 crore. Rs17,723 crore is expected to be spent for ring road construction work.
Last month, the cabinet gave approval to the MSRDC to raise a loan of Rs35,629 crore from HUDCO to acquire land for three major road infrastructure projects in the state, including the Pune ring road. The MSRDC has planned to construct 5,000 km of highways and expressway network in future. The three major road infrastructure projects include Virar-Alibug multi-purpose corridor, Pune ring road, and Jalna-Nanded Expressway.
