By Sampurna Majumder
Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis indicated on Monday that Pune and Navi Mumbai would emerge as the nation’s top Global Capability Centres (GCC), hubs of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and major contributors to the rise of India’s economy.
Fadanavis stated that the city’s development must be in accordance with the country’s growing needs, for which Pune will receive a network of road tunnels to take care of traffic congestion.
Ahead of civic elections, Fadanavis inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for over Rs. 3000 crore in civic projects in Pune city with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar present. According to Fadanavis, “all the civic projects inaugurated today are of public benefit, which will ease the lives of common people.” The majority of the projects are related to improving traffic, water supply and sewage treatment.
In order to tackle the city’s traffic congestion, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has already begun work on road infrastructure, including the development of missing linkages across 32 roads.
In Pune, mobility is a major problem. It is concerning that there is traffic on the city’s current routes. Both the city and its citizens will keep expanding. In order to address the traffic problem, measures such as a network of subterranean roadways are required. According to Fadnavis, “these tunnels will cut across the city and ease traffic on the road.”
As cars from outside the city are diverted, the Ring Road will also significantly enhance traffic conditions in the city. Bottlenecks at the city’s entry and exit points are the primary cause of traffic in Pune. Due to traffic congestion, it takes two hours for vehicles to leave the city. Bottlenecks in the areas will be eradicated by the raised roadways that are being built on Nagar Road and Solapur Road, according to Fadnavis. He also added that the addition of 1000 electric buses to public transportation would offer seamless connection, that the city has established a comprehensive mobility strategy, and that Pune has responded well to the metro extension.
According to the Chief Minister, every state in the nation has one megacity that enhances the country’s economy. However, Maharashtra is the only state with two megacities, Mumbai and Pune. “The state’s growth engine is Pune.” It is a centre for the manufacturing and IT industries and boasts a top-notch infrastructure. Data centres are expected to be headquartered in India. The economy of the future will be data-driven. “The nation’s AI hub will be Pune and Navi Mumbai,” he declared.
According to Ajit Pawar, significant progress is being made in that direction. “We must be ready to manage the progress and address the city’s expanding requirements, but we cannot halt it. Road infrastructure and metro rail are being used to address traffic problems. Water will become a major issue in the future, and plans are in place to use the Mulshi Dam, which was previously primarily used for electricity generation, to fulfil the growing demand for water.”
According to Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol, the BJP has brought in massive infrastructural projects over the past ten years to ensure the city’s proper development. “I was hearing about the metro rail for a long time, but it became a reality during BJP rule,” he remarked.