Pune: Congress state spokesperson Gopal Tiwari has urged Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar to work together to secure the central government's approved 10 per cent funding for the Swargate to Katraj Metro project. He also requested a reduction in the ₹500 crore financial burden on Pune residents.
Tiwari highlighted the significant development Pune witnessed during the tenure of leaders such as Barrister Vitthalrao Gadgil, Mohan Dharia, and Suresh Kalmadi, and under the UPA government, which provided a substantial ₹750 crore through the JNNURM initiative by Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government.
Following Barrister Vitthalrao Gadgil, Muralidhar Mohol is the latest representative from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency to be appointed as a Minister of State at the Centre.
Tiwari appealed to Mohol to actively contribute to Pune's development and use his position in Delhi to secure the necessary funds for the city's metro project. This collective effort, according to Tiwari, is essential for advancing Pune's infrastructure and alleviating the financial strain on its citizens.
Meanwhile, the Swargate metro station and multimodal hub will be operational by September 2024 according to Pune Metro officials. Swargate is the last metro station which is a part of the partially operational Pimpri-Shivajinagar-Swargate Metro route. The Shivajinagar to Swargate stretch of Pune metro is underground and 3.64 kilometres in length.
The metro line from Swargate will be further extended to Katraj, to benefit citizens residing in South region of Pune. Katraj is also known as the South entrance of Pune city. Katraj and surrounding areas have seen explosive growth over the last decade.
The Katraj-Kondhwa Road project, which will be the main road leading to Purandar airport, is also being widened. The Swargate-Katraj Metro will serve beneficial for enhancing connectivity to Purandar airport.
