Pune Metro finds itself on the green track

Still not on track: In the four-and-half years since the Pune Metro plan was first approved by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2010, the project has been shadowed by uncertainty and delays. Pic for representation

The Pune Metro project seems to have found itself on the green track this year. A three-member expert committee, constituted by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), has informed that it is in the last leg of clearing construction of the railway network under the waterbed of Mutha river. The NEERI authorities have informed that they have formulated an action plan to initiate work on the project and they are only awaiting the final nod from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The NGT had earlier urged the committee to conduct a thorough environment impact assessment (EIA) after some locals and activists raised objections about the project. The committee - comprising Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-NEERI principal scientist and convener Dr Ritesh Vijay, Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board member and scientist Dr A Benniamin, and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board joint director Dr Y B Sontakke - informed that it has listed several remedies to reduce the impact of the construction on the environment.

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Brijesh Dixit, managing director of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, said, "The underground railway network will be built with all safety measures in place. It has been proposed that the muck released from the hard rock strata be converted into environmental-friendly tiles and bricks. We have proposed to use stone retrieved from underground stations for architecture finishes." The 16.5-km Line One of the Pune Metro, with 16 stations, will run between Pimpri Chinchwad Mahanagar Palika and Swargate.

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