Pune Metro gets PM nod in 'record time'.

The Narendra Modi government recently gave its approval to the Pune Metro project, creating a record of sorts by clearing the proposal in less than 24 hours of receiving it from the state government.

Sources in the Ministry of Urban Development said the government sent its revised detailed project report (DPR) recently through an email. Union Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu forwarded it to Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitely.


Recently, during the inauguration of the Nagpur Metro, Naidu gave in-principle nod for Pune Metro. He said, 'After the Nagpur Metro, we have taken the decision to roll out the Pune Metro and also the third phase of Mumbai Metro.'

The Congress and the NCP had last week accused Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari and Modi of giving preference to the Nagpur Metro and ignoring the Pune project. Gadkari said: 'There was no question of discrimination. The state government had not submitted the proposal for the Pune Metro. As a result, the Centre could not take a decision.' It seems after the Centre put the ball in the state’s court, the latter hurriedly emailed the DPR.

NCP ministers said the Rs. 15,000-crore project, which was an initiative of party chief Sharad Pawar, was kept in abeyance because of 'slow pace of clearance from the CM'.

A senior Congress minister said: 'The urban development department stuck to the guidelines and kept the issue on hold. Had they acted fast, the project would have rolled by now.'



THE INDIAN EXPRESS