Shivane To Kharadi Road Pune

The state government was approached by a group of elected members, with the demand for Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) as a compensation for acquiring land in the green belt for the project of Shivane-Kharadi road.

The said project is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects of the state. Last year, the deputy chief minister had convinced land owners to accept cash compensation or Floor Space Index (FSI) in lieu of their land for the project.

Features of the project

The Shivane-Kharadi project was proposed in 2007, and was approved in 2011 by the state government. According to the road department, the project would allow commuters from eastern parts of the city, such as Koregaon Park,Lohegaon and Kharadi, to reach central areas of the city. It will directly link Kothrud, Deccan Gymkhana and Karvenagar areas to Ahmednagar Road, and would help in decongesting traffic on several major thoroughfares in the city like Karve Road, JM Road and Sinhagad Road.

The project is supposed to be completed in three phases – Shivane to Mhatre Bridge, covering an area of about 6 km; Sangamwadi to Kharadi, covering an area of around 11.5 km ; and Mhatre Bridge to Sangamwadi, covering an area of about 5 km.

Cost of the project

Proposal for the 22km six lane-elevated Shivane-Kharadi link road was approved by the civic authority in 2007. As per the proposal made. it was estimated that the project would cost around Rs.105 crores, in 2008. However, the same scaled to about 300 crores in 2010 and is expected to cost more than a 1000 crore at present.

Disputes over the project

The construction work has not yet started as many land owners have raised objections regarding the compensation. While some of them agreed to accept cash in lieu of their land, many of them wanted transfer of development rights (TDR).

Environmentalists have raised objections against the construction of a road on the riverbed, which would obstruct the flow of the Mutha river. Earlier, green activists had also obtained a stay from the Bombay high court against further construction of the riverbed road. However, the civic officials stated that environmental rules would be taken into consideration and will not be violated. They informed that the proposal was earmarked in the 1987 development plan and that the construction would be carried out on the riverside, and not in the riverbed, without posing any threat to the river.