Maha-Metro to construct Pune’s tallest building at Shivajinagar

The Maharashtra metro rail corporation (Maha-Metro) has urged Pune municipal corporation (PMC) to vacate slums near the Food Corporation of India’s warehouse at Shivajinagar to enable it to erect the city’s tallest multistory building on the plot.

Maha-Metro has also planned various other projects for upcoming metro corridors. Atul Gadgil, head of Vanaz to Ramwadi Metro corridor, said, “The state government has already handed over the godown lands at Shivajinagar with an area of 27,175 sq m. There are slums around this plot on an area of 21,729 sq m.

The Civil Court Metro station has been planned on this Shivajinagar godown land and will be the biggest metro station in the Pune city. It would be the interchange metro station for all the metro corridors as all metro lines are crossing from here. Considering this, the Maha-Metro has prepared the master plan for a total of 48,904 square metres and expects the PMC to rehabilitate the slums and transfer this whole plot to the Maha-Metro.”

The metro lines Hinjwadi to Shivajinagar station, underground metroline from Pimpri Chinchwad to Swargate and Vanaz to Ramwadi will be cross here and their stations would be located at different stages. Even the control rooms of the Metro rail operations are here.

Gadgil said that to sustain the metro project, Maha-Metro would need non-ticket revenue and this plot would have that potential. Considering this, Maha-Metro prepared the master plan and planned various infrastructure projects on this plot.

According to the proposed four floor space index around the metro corridors, it is expected that Maha-Metro would erect a 40 storey multilevel commercial building adjacent to the metro station, which will help generate more revenue. This commercial building would give permanent income for the metro to sustain the project. This building would be one of the attractions of the city, said Gadgil.

Feeder bus service to major metro stations

The central government made it mandatory to start feeder bus service to big metro stations. It is mandatory for all metro projects in the city to help getting end to end connectivity for Metro commuters. Gadgil said that even in Pune, once the project would be operational, Maha-Metro would need to start such a feeder service along the major metro stations. Mini buses would run around the metro station in a circular way.