Pimpri Chinchwad: The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) has started digging trenches on defence land in Khadki cantonment limits to enable the construction of piers for the Pimpri-Swargate route.Over 11km of this route will be elevated, while the rest would run underground. Work had stalled in the cantonment limits as MahaMetro was awaiting permission from the defence authorities, as a portion of the elevated route passed over defence land. “We have received the permission from defence authorities to carry out utility trenching for 30 pillars. This is necessary to help us locate underground utility lines, which need to be shifted. Meanwhile discussions are in progress to get defence land for pillars,” Gautam Birhade, chief project manager of the Pimpri-Range Hills section, said.MahaMetro has also started construction of five pillars in the Mula riverbed near Dapodi, of which three have been completed. “We have completed the foundations for 274 pillars, the construction of 206 pillars and 134 pier caps. We have also finished 1,440 spans till now. Using three launching girders, we have completed viaduct on a 2.5km stretch,” he added.Further, the MahaMetro has started construction of eight pillars along the service road of the Bus Rapid Transit Route on the highway, opposite the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation headquarters in Pimpri.

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