Bhujbal set to revive old route of Pune-Nashik rail corridor
: The Pune-Nashik semi high-speed railway corridor project, which was greenlit five years ago but failed to take off over a conflict in its alignment (see box), was back in discussion on Friday, with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Chhagan Bhujbal holding a meeting with officials of Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (Maharail), followed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis about the future course of action.
The original proposed route of the semi high-speed railway -- Pune-Chakan-Rajgurunagar-Manchar-Narayangaon-Sangamner-Sinnar-Nashik – had to be reconsidered when the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) which set up and maintains the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at Narayangaon, objected to the corridor passing through the vicinity.
The GMRT is an array of 30 fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45 metre diameter. It is the largest and most sensitive radio telescope array in the world at low frequencies.
A second route on the corridor was therefore proposed by the railways with a diversion to Ahilyanagar, skirting Narayangaon, in December 2024, which irked Bhujbal.
Fast connectivity is significant to the Pune-Nashik belt, as it is considered the second most important region for industrial development in the state, after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is called the golden triangle of Maharashtra as many industries – automobile, IT, pharmaceuticals, textile and chemicals -- flourish here.
The veteran leader from Nashik has now insisted that the project be implemented soon along the original route, albeit passing 15 kilometers away from the observatory, with a deadline of 2027-28, ahead of the Kumbh.
The state government had appointed Maharail to construct the 236-km long railway line, and planned to raise ₹16,039 crore for the project, through 60% loan from financial institutions and 40% equity of Maharail.
An officer from Maharail said, 'The project report prepared by Maharail was given a green signal by Niti Ayog in 2020, and as the railway ministry was involved, the final clearance was awaited from the Centre's cabinet committee on economic affairs. The plan was interrupted as experts from NCRA pointed out that the pantograph device on the train transfers electricity from the overhead high-tension power lines creating frequency which could affect the working of the observatory. They demanded a change in alignment.'
The railway ministry proposed a change in the alignment in December 2024, with a diversion through Ahilyanagar and Shirdi, skipping some parts of Nashik district. It would however add 80 kilometers to the journey.
Bhujbal objected to the rerouting and batted in favour of the old route as, he said, 'the original route would be close to the approach road to the proposed Vadhavan port and will benefit more to the state and national economy'.
In his letter to Fadnavis on May 16, Bhujbal had said: 'The railway ministry's proposed change with an 80 kilometre detour should be rejected. Maharail can build an underground tunnel near the observatory to resolve the issue of disturbance to the frequency.' That was however cast aside as it was presumed it would add to the overall cost.
Bhujbal's second option presented to Maharail officials on Friday was to make a slight change in the alignment near the location of the observatory with a diversion of 15 kilometers to avoid interfering with the GMRT's frequency.
He told HT, 'The project has been stuck for years. So, after a meeting with Maharail officials I met CM Fadnavis, and made him aware of the new possibilities on the old route. I requested him to consider it and expedite the work. I also suggested that going forward a separate line be created to connect to Shirdi.'
When HT reached out to the chief minister on a text message about the future course of the route, he wrote back saying: 'We are Ok with the railway ministry's proposal. The change of alignment is inevitable because on our earlier proposed route falls a very important observatory which is hosted by 32 countries and you can't have a right of way around that. This new route will take 40 minutes more and will also cover Shirdi as a destination.'
Fadnavis has directed officers in the chief minister's office (CMO) to look into Maharail's proposal and changes suggested by Bhujbal. After scrutinising both routes, the state government will take a final decision, said an officer in the know.
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