Pune Beat

Flyover plan may hang fireThe political change in Maharashtra and stiff opposition from the people in Mumbai to pay the toll, has put a s...

Flyover plan may hang fire
The political change in Maharashtra and stiff opposition from the people in Mumbai to pay the toll, has put a serious question mark over the ambitious project of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC of constructing nine flyovers in the city.

Of the proposed nine flyovers, the MSRDC has so far floated tender for flyover connecting Magarpatta and Saswad phata on the Pune-Solapur Road while the process of remaining eight tenders is yet to be initiated. MSRDC officials, however, are doubtful whether the new government, comprising the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party NCP would pursue the project since Congress had vehemently opposed flyovers in the city.

The officials are also worried over the fact that the issue of recovery of toll has become subjudice since a few Mumbaities have gone to court. The officials maintain that it would not be financially feasible for the MSRDC to implement the project if the court did not allow them to recover toll. The court intervention has put MSRDC officials in a serious dilemma as they fear the recovery of investment, which goes into crores in constructing the flyovers.

The officials are unsure whether new government would take the risk of investing crores of rupees for the city if the recovery of toll is not assured. They also point out that MSRDC was taking 30 per cent share of the total project cost from the respective local self governments in other parts of the State while it was ready to bear all the project cost for city flyovers. The MSRDC officials fear that the similar demand could be made from other parts of the State also once the Pune proposal was approved by the cabinet.

The united Congress had vehemently opposed alliance government8217;s proposal of flyovers on various grounds. The Congress, however, was left with no option but to support the proposal when Public Works Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that MSRDC would bear all the project cost even if the Pune Municipal Corporation did not pay its 30 per cent share of the project cost. The officials feel that the entire project would be in doldrums if the Congress sticks to its earlier stand.