Maharashtra clears Rs 200-cr for Katraj-Kondhwa road widening

The long-standing issue of widening the Katraj-Kondhwa road is finally on track to be resolved, as the state government has approved a budget of Rs 200 crore for the expansion of this road stretch. The project aims to widen the current 32-meter road to a more suitable width of 84 meters, ensuring smoother vehicular flow on the southern outskirts of Pune. To accomplish this, the municipal corporation needs to acquire a total of 2.88 lakh square meters of land, out of which 58,000 square meters have already been secured. However, the acquisition of an additional 1.28 lakh square meters had led to a halt in the project's progress.

To overcome this hurdle, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to offer compensation through Transferable Development Rights (TDR) instead of cash to acquire the required land. This approach will enable the project to move forward by providing cash compensation to property owners and clearing the way for the road widening work to resume. The funding clearance from the state government is crucial for the successful completion of the project and to facilitate improved traffic movement in the region.