Pune

Amid the clamour of voices against the proposed metro railway in Pune, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad has termed the construction of the project in the congested parts of the city a highly difficult proposition.

“Instead of a metro, the city can consider a monorail project, which is highly cost-effective and suited to crowded areas,” he said on Friday. Gaikwad has been the municipal commissioner of Pune. He added, “The city can look at a light rail transit project, a railway at ground level, at low construction costs. Pune has a lot to learn from the MMRDA’s Rs. 1.14 lakh crore development projects.”

Incidentally, the proposed Swargate to Pimpri route of phase I of the metro project will run through Shivaji road. The PMC has put any work on this corridor on hold. “A monorail project will cost Rs. 120 crore per km, which is cost effective in comparison to the metro. Besides, it has the capacity to carry 15,000 to 20,000 persons per hour. The LRT, which too has a high ridership, can be constructed along roadsides,” Gaikwad said.

BJP corporator Vikas Mathkari, during the interaction with Gaikwad, suggested a monorail on the Dehu Road-Katraj bypass. “An LRT or a monorail can also be considered along the Mutha river bank, instead of the proposed elevated road project,” he added. Gaikwad said Mumbai’s monorail project, from Jacob circle to Wadala, was conceptualised in 2008 and would be running by January 2011. Gaikwad was in favour of standard gauge for the metro as broad gauge metros involved higher costs.

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