Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said Pune will be developed into one of India’s fastest-moving cities within the next three to four years, as the state government seeks to address the city’s worsening traffic congestion through a combination of road, tunnel, expressway, metro and bus projects.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bajaj Finserv headquarters in Pune, Fadnavis said several transport infrastructure projects were already under way, while work on other schemes was being accelerated. The plan includes an outer ring road, an inner ring road, underground routes and high-capacity expressways, according to a report by Loksatta – Pune.
Fadnavis also pointed to the expansion of Pune’s metro network and efforts to strengthen the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited, the city’s public bus operator. He said the combination of these projects would enable Pune’s transport system to become the fastest in the country over the next three to four years.
The chief minister’s statement comes amid continuing concern over traffic congestion in Pune and criticism directed at both the local administration and the state government. The report did not provide project-wise completion dates, route details, budgets or capacity estimates for the ring roads, underground routes or high-capacity corridors mentioned in the announcement.
Fadnavis also linked the transport plan to the expansion of the Bajaj Finserv headquarters in Pune. The headquarters is expected to accommodate around 40,000 employees. A connecting road to the Mundhwa area and an additional bridge will be constructed before the headquarters project is completed, he said.
The event was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, Bajaj Finserv chairman and managing director Sanjiv Bajaj, Bajaj Finserv CSR chairperson Shefali Bajaj, Bajaj Finance vice-chairman and managing director Rajiv Jain, Pune Municipal Corporation Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi, among other officials and company representatives.
The proposed road link and additional bridge are expected to connect the headquarters development with the Mundhwa area. The report did not specify the agencies responsible for executing the works, the land required, or the expected construction schedule beyond the commitment that the links would be completed before the headquarters becomes operational.
Fadnavis further said the Bajaj Group had expressed an intention to develop an arts and cultural centre in Pune. He said the facility would be developed with the cooperation of the municipal corporation and other stakeholders, although no location, timeline or project details were announced.
The chief minister also described Mumbai and Pune as leading centres in India’s fintech ecosystem. He said Mumbai had surpassed Bengaluru in fintech investment during the first quarter of the year, accounting for 61% of total fintech investment, while fintech start-ups had recorded growth of 59%. He added that Maharashtra had attracted $900 million in investment in the sector and said the state intended to extend the ecosystem to Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur.
For Pune, the immediate transport commitments are linked to a broader expansion of employment, corporate development and urban infrastructure. The next stated milestones are the construction of the Mundhwa connection and additional bridge before completion of the Bajaj Finserv headquarters, alongside continued work on the metro, ring roads, underground routes, high-capacity corridors and public bus services.
