MahaMetro officials, however, said the names of Bhosari and Budhwar Peth stations were given when the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared. After coming under fire over the naming of a station, MahaMetro Rail Corporation Ltd, which is implementing the Pune Metro project, has decided to change the names of at least two stations and will seek the state government’s permission for the same.
The stations that will be renamed include the Bhosari station and the Budhwar Peth station, both located in Corridor One. “We have been receiving complaints regarding the naming of at least two stations… We have initiated the process to change their names,” said Hemant Sonawane, spokesperson for MahaMetro. “We will soon send a request to the competent authority, which is the state government, for changing the name of the two stations,” he said.
The name of Bhosari station has caused much confusion among commuters. The station is situated at least 5 km away from Bhosari. “The station is located at Nashik Phata which is a famous place in Pimpri-Chinchwad. It is located at the intersection of the Pune-Mumbai and the Pune-Nashik highways and hence it has been named Nashik Phata, which is a gateway to Nashik,” said Jayant Kariya, coordinator of Kasarwadi Citizens Forum.
Kariya said Nashik Phata was famous as a transport hub. “Nearly 25 years ago, the transport hub was shifted from Nashik Phata to Nigdi. This was after The Indian Express highlighted how the transport hub triggered traffic jams on the Pune-Mumbai highway and led to accidents. After the campaign by The Indian Express, the then municipal commissioner Pravin Pardeshi shifted the transport hub, lock, stock and barrel, to Nigdi,” Kariya said.
Another coordinator, Rajendra Verma, said MahaMetro officials probably believe that Nashik Phata is not a popular place. “Not just in Pimpri-Chinchwad, even people from Pune city and district areas will always cite Nashik Phata while giving directions to their acquaintances for reaching the Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari MIDC area. Therefore, Nashik Phata is popular all over Pune and Metro officials should not try to undermine it,” he said.
MahaMetro officials, however, said the names of Bhosari and Budhwar Peth stations were given when the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared. “Officials who prepare the DPR take into consideration the biggest popular suburb nearby. Therefore, in the case of Bhosari, it must have happened as Bhosari is famous as one of the biggest industrial areas in Maharashtra,” Sonawane said.
Similarly, Metro officials said the name of Budhwar Peth station will also be changed. “Some citizens have objected to the name as this peth houses the red-light area… People want it changed to Kasba Peth. Both the renaming proposals are under consideration,” a Metro official said.
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