Pune’s HCMTR Project Gets Fresh Push; Civic Body Floats Consultancy Tender

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has revived the long-pending High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) project by inviting bids for appointing consultants to carry out technical studies, land acquisition work and statutory approvals, civic officials said on Tuesday.

The move comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed authorities to fast-track the ambitious transport project, which has remained stalled for over a decade due to challenges related to land acquisition, environmental clearances and changing transport requirements in the city.

The civic body has floated separate tenders for a principal consultant to handle pre-construction technical work and another agency to manage land acquisition, surveys and regulatory procedures.

PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the administration was working to complete the preparatory activities at the earliest and plans to invite construction bids by October.

“We have initiated the consultant appointment process and have secured an initial funding commitment of Rs 3,000 crore for the project,” Ram said.

Originally planned as a 35.96-km elevated ring corridor under Pune’s Development Plan, the HCMTR project has now been expanded to nearly 43 km following revisions in alignment. The revised plan, approved by the state government in 2024, includes the missing Vishrantwadi-Bopodi link, creating a continuous ring corridor around the city.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Pavneet Kaur said the updated alignment largely follows the route approved by the state government while addressing key connectivity gaps. She added that the appointed consultants would update technical studies, complete statutory requirements and prepare the project for execution.

Chief Superintendent Engineer Dinkar Gojare said changes have been made at 12 locations along the alignment to reduce land acquisition requirements and improve project viability.

Gojare said earlier technical studies had become outdated over the past 12 years, requiring fresh environmental assessments, updated land records and revised plans, especially at locations where the corridor intersects with Metro routes and major roads.

Drone-based surveys for land acquisition are already underway, and the updated technical review is expected to be completed within three months, he said. Around 51 per cent of the land required under the original alignment is already available, while the state government has agreed in principle to transfer the remaining government land either free of cost or at nominal rates.

The proposed six-lane, 24-metre-wide elevated corridor will feature a central Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) lane. The project is designed to enable uninterrupted movement of buses and emergency vehicles at speeds of up to 50 kmph while reducing congestion on major city roads.

The HCMTR corridor will connect several key areas of Pune, including Bopodi, Aundh, Shivajinagar, Kothrud, Erandawane, Wanowrie, Hadapsar, Mundhwa and Vishrantwadi.