No more traffic blues

Finally, there is good news for commuters. You could soon save precious hours, thanks to a 169.77 km long Ring Road around Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.The ambitious Rs 9,000 crore outer-Ring Road project promises to ease city's road traffic flow and also help in decongesting problem areas. The project will kick-off as soon as Chief Minister Ashok Chavan formally announces the formation of Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) by month-end. Save 1.5 hoursThe preliminary work on the project will start in the next two months, confirmed a senior official at PWD Pune. We have already completed almost 50 per cent of the survey work and expect to start the process of land acquisition, he said. Commuters who need to travel to Mumbai from Sholapur can save at least 1.5 hours by avoiding the city route and driving directly to NH-4.PWD officials state that the project will help ease traffic flow by at least 25 per cent. T C Benjamin, principal secretary, Urban Development is upbeat about the project. He said, The proposal has been put forth. We expect a decision soon. The Ring Road will work on the lines of Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority. Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar also assured that the CM would soon announce the formation of PMRDA and the Ring Road.Sadhana Naik, Deputy Director, Town Planning, Pune, said that a similar project has been successful in Ahmedabad. The money required will be generated at the local level. The Town planning department is working out the model for funds. The PMRDA will have a total 30-35 special townships from which the money can be generated, she said.