Citizens seeking clarity on Pune’s proposed High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTMR) project have opposed the plan, alleging that the Pune Municipal Corporation has not made its design, technical details and likely impacts sufficiently public.
The HCMTMR Citizens Action Committee raised the concerns during a meeting with Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. The committee asked the civic administration to hold a detailed discussion with residents and address questions about the project before proceeding further.
The committee said Pune residents had not been given clear information about the exact form of the proposed transport system or how it would affect the city. It also sought an official, transparent and detailed plan covering the project’s planning, design and technical specifications.
According to the committee, the project is being proposed as a solution to Pune’s traffic congestion, but the administration has not clearly explained what transport infrastructure will be built or how the system will operate. The lack of clarity, it said, had led to opposition among citizens and could create obstacles for the project.
The committee also demanded information about the project’s possible social and environmental effects. Concerns were raised about its potential impact on traffic movement, the environment and heritage sites, although the report does not provide details of any completed assessment or final project design.
The demand for greater disclosure comes as the civic administration considers a major transport intervention intended to address congestion in Pune. The committee said residents should be given an opportunity to understand the proposal and participate in discussions before decisions are taken.
The group’s representatives asked Commissioner Ram to ensure that the project’s official plan is placed before citizens in detail. They sought explanations on the route’s planning, structural design, technical features and anticipated consequences for the city.
Dr Prajakta Divekar, Pratap Rawal, Mahipal Patwardhan, Narendra Thatte, Kaniz Sukhrani, Makarand Shende and Rajiv Sawant were among those present at the meeting, along with other committee members. The report does not state whether the municipal commissioner gave a detailed response to the committee’s demands or announce a timeline for releasing project documents.
The next step sought by the committee is a detailed public discussion led by the Pune Municipal Corporation, along with the publication of the HCMTMR project’s official plan and supporting technical information.
