PIMPRI: Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne said that he has been assured by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri that he had received the proposal of the state government about the Pimpri to Nigdi metro extension project and he will approve it in a week. Hence, the dream of Pimpri Chinchwad residents about the metro operating till Nigdi will be fulfilled.
In the first phase, the metro was going to be operational from PCMC to Fugewadi. Now, the stretch from PCMC to District Court of 13.9 km has started. The residents want the metro services to be extended to Nigdi. The state government has sent a proposal of extending the services to Nigdi. MP Barne met Puri against this backdrop on Thursday and requested the minister to clear the project.
In the last two decades, there has been a rapid increase in urbanisation in Pimpri Chinchwad. The population was 17 lakh in 2011 which reached 21 lakh in 2017. At present, the population is 25 lakh. It is estimated that till 2028, it will be 30 lakh and 39 lakh till 2038. The residents of Akurdi, Chinchwad and Nigdi areas want the metro service to be extended till Nigdi. A revised DPR with a proposal of ₹910 crore expenditure was submitted to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on February 25, 2022.
“The expenditure for the extension of the stretch till Nigdi will be shared equally between PCMC and the Centre. The proposed extension will be spread over four kilometres. If the proposal is cleared immediately, the work will be completed on time. Minister Puri has assured me that the proposal will be given a green signal in a week. Hence, the dream of extending the metro service to Nigdi will become a reality,” Barne added.
