Residents of Kalyaninagar protest against new route

PUNE: Over 100 Kalyaninagar residents and a handful of politicians formed a human chain and held a rally at the Shastrinagar crossing on Saturday, protesting against the revised new Pune Metro alignment through the area.

The protesters alleged Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) revised the alignment without consulting the residents. Thewy claimed that crucial factors — cost per kilometre, ridership, and sharp bends — were not considered.

MahaMetro has already barricaded parts of South Avenue and East Avenue in Kalyaninagar to enable initial soil testing.

“Who is going to ride the Metro in Kalyaninagar? Nearly everyone uses cars. This new alignment will deprive those who need the Metro the most,” said Satish Khot, from the Public Concern for Governance Trust, also a Kalyaninagar resident.

The residents had other concerns, however. The new alignment skirts the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, raising environmental red flags. “So many trees have already been cut down for Shivne-Kharadi road project. Once the Metro construction begins, hundreds more will be axed. The green cover of the area will be completely destroyed,” added Meghna Baphna, a green activist.

Residents pointed out that Kalyaninagar was one of the last “green neighbourhoods” in the city, as well as being relatively quiet and peaceful, despite increasing traffic congestion due to heavy airport-bound traffic and new restaurants and nightclubs in the area.

The local MLA, Jagdish Mulik, said he set up a meeting MahaMetro in this regard, and said he wants the authorities to revert to Ahmednagar Road. “I am not opposed to the Metro. I am of the view that the alignment should go straight from Yerawada to Wagholi, not just till Ramwadi, as it will benefit more people,” Mulik said.

MahaMetro, however, said it carried out due diligence before selecting the new alignment. “Because of the AMASR Act and the National Monuments Authority ruling over the Aga Khan Palace, we have no option but to route it through Kalyaninagar. We conducted all necessary environmental and traffic surveys,” a MahaMetro official said.