The Katraj-Kondhwa road project is estimated to cost Rs 149.52 crore. (File) The Katraj-Kondhwa road project is estimated to cost Rs 149.52 crore. (File) The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has contracted an agency to develop the 3.5 km Katraj-Kondhwa Road. The project will be completed at a cost of Rs 149.52 crore, far less than the estimated cost of Rs 192.43 crore. In a proposal tabled in the standing committee, the civic administration proposed to award the contract to Patel Engineering Ltd, which was the only agency that applied to undertake the project. According to the civic administration, the road will have a 13.5-metre-wide carriageway, 7.5-metre-wide service road, 5-metre-wide of angular parking, 3-metre-wide cycle track, a utility corridor, footpath, 4.4-metre-wide space for tree plantation, storm water line and drainage lines on both sides. The road will also have two vehicular underpasses, one pedestrian underpass, three grade separators and a bridge on the nullah. The project was estimated to cost Rs 192.43 crore for constructing the 84-metre-wide road that would pass through Rajas society, Khadi Machine Chowk and Pisoli village in the civic jurisdiction. The work has to be completed within 36 months. The PMC has undertaken the DP connectivity of major corridors along with infrastructural development of roads, flyovers and bridges in its jurisdiction. The existing road is an undeveloped one connecting main roads. When developed, it will serve as a connecting link to Pune and NH-9 Pune-Solapur National Highway. It will be convenient for commuters around the Katraj-Kondhwa area and nearby industrial, commercial and residential areas. “The road would provide an alternative to divert traffic coming into the city on Pune-Solapur Highway and Pune-Satara Highway. It would also provide an option for heavy traffic between Mumbai and Solapur, which will be able to take the new road instead of coming into Pune,” said a civic officer. The Shiv Sena and MNS had staged a protest against the undeveloped existing road. The issue was raised in the general body after fatal accidents on the existing road. The civic administration was struggling to take up the work due to difficulties in acquiring the land for the road and had urged local corporators to help in the process. The civic administration had cancelled the earlier tender process over allegations of lack of transparency in the project. For all the latest Pune News, download Indian Express App

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