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Union Minister Muralidhar Mohol Monday said that the Pune Metro will be connected to the Pune International Airport and a Detailed Project Report will be prepared for the project by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Mohol, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, was speaking after a meeting of the Airport Advisory Committee (AAC). The Pune MP also said that Kharadi should be developed as an Interchangeable and Multimodal Transport Hub.
Mohol said, “Regarding the metro route from Khadakwasla to Kharadi, a meeting was held with the General Managers of Maha Metro. We also spoke with some officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in that context. Since the topic of airport connectivity falls under the jurisdiction of Maha Metro and the Pune Municipal Corporation, the Corporation should take up the task of preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR).”
The route will be from Kharadi to Pune Airport, and will be a part of the Khadakwasla-Swargate-Hadapsar-Kharadi line. Mohol also proposed a Katraj to Hinjewadi metro line.
Later, Mohol wrote on X: “Kharadi and its surroundings are developing rapidly in terms of commercial and residential development and Kharadi is a suitable option for an Interchangeable and Multimodal Transport Hub. If this hub is established in Kharadi, the option of going to Pune Airport through all Metro lines will be available.”
He added that all the existing four metro routes in Pune will be connected directly to the Pune Lohegaon airport after this connection was made.
“Whether it is the Nigdi to Swargate route, Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar, Vanaz to Ramwadi, people from Pimpri-Chinchwad or any part of the Pune district will have direct metro connectivity to the airport. Planning for this is already underway and it has been instructed that the Municipal Corporation should fund the DPR and Maha Metro should prepare it accordingly,” he added.
Mohol also said that the population of Pune district has crossed 10 million, and looking ahead 50 to 100 years, maximum services should be provided from this airport.
On the Purandar aiport, Mohol said, “Whenever a new airport is to be developed anywhere in the country, the land is provided by the state government. As per the information I have, land acquisition is currently being done by the state government through MIDC. A sub-divisional officer has been appointed for each village, and land acquisition notifications have already been issued. That work will also begin very soon.”
Meanwhile, during the day, farmers from Pargaon had protested against land acquisition for the airport at the Pune District Collector’s office.
