As Pune Metro’s ‘Bhosari station’ continues to confuse commuters, Maha-Metro urges Centre to set up panel for name change

The Pune Metro service from Pimpri to Phugewadi was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March last year. Soon after, commuter organisations demanded that the name of Bhosari station should be changed to Nashik Phata where the metro services stop.

Bhosari is located about five kilometres from Nashik Phata. While Nashik Phata falls on the Pune-Mumbai highway, the suburb of Bhosari is located along the Pune-Nashik highway.

“A proposal for a change in the name of Bhosari station was sent to the Union Ministry soon after the Pune Metro services were inaugurated last year. Along with this, we had also recommended changes in the names of a few other stations like Budhwar Peth following demand from commuter organisations,” Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director, Maha-Metro, which runs the Pune Metro services, told The Indian Express Sunday.

Since the Union Government has not responded to its recommendation, Maha-Metro has now sent another request, calling for the formation of a committee to change the names.

“The names were in the Detailed Project Report which was prepared for Pune Metro. Since the procedure for change in name was not established, there has been a delay in changing the names. Now, we have urged the government to set up a committee for the purpose. The proposal for setting up of the committee was sent last month,” Hardikar said.

Maval MP Shrirang Barne, under whose jurisdiction Pimpri-Chinchwad falls, said he was not aware of the proposal sent by Maha-Metro to the Union Government.

“If they have sent any such proposal to the government, then they can provide the same to me. I will pursue the matter with the government. If they had provided me with the copy earlier, I would have pursued it. Bhosari’s name for Nashik Phata station looks odd,” said Barne.

Gulam Ali Bhaldar, President, Chinchwad Pravasi Sangh, said commuters, especially those travelling from the Pune side, buy tickets for Bhosari.

“When they land at ‘Bhosari’ station, they realise it is not Bhosari but Nashik Phata. They have to then again catch a bus or an auto to reach Bhosari which is 5 km away. The commuters get misled. Instead of taking Metro to reach Bhosari, they can take a direct bus to Bhosari from Pune station or Shivajinagar area. You can’t expect commuters to keep changing their transport with their luggage in hand,” added Bhaldar.

Incidentally, while Pune Metro has a station called Bhosari station in Nashik Phata, the Central Railway has Kasarwadi station and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) runs the Kasarwadi bus stop at the same place. Nashik-Phata-Kasarwadi are close to each other.

“One spot but three different names from three different transport services. This is confusing. Metro should get it right. It needs to be named Bhosari station since they already have another station named Kasarwadi station a little distance away,” said Lahoo Landge, a resident of Kasarwadi.