Pune Metro Phase 3 faced opposition from residents of Baner and Balewadi on 3 November after plans to begin services on only 17 stations of the Hinjewadi–Shivajinagar corridor excluded stations serving their neighbourhoods. Residents staged a protest at Habaji Saykar Chowk in Baner, demanding that the local stations be opened before the metro service begins.
The protest took place on the same day as the planned inauguration of the corridor at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Mahalunge-Balewadi. The event was scheduled to be attended in person by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to join online, according to the Sakal report.
A large number of residents from Baner participated in the demonstration and raised slogans against the service plan. Police maintained a substantial deployment in the area, and protesters were taken into custody during the agitation.
Residents said the Baner-Balewadi area had supported the metro project by providing land and cooperating with activities connected to construction. Their objection is that the stations in their neighbourhood have not been included in the initial service plan despite the disruption caused by the project over the past five years.
According to the report, residents have faced dust, traffic congestion and deteriorated roads during the construction period. They questioned why services were being planned without opening the stations that would directly serve the affected area. Their demand is that the relevant station work be completed and the stations opened to passengers immediately.
The dispute highlights the operational and public-facing consequences of opening a metro corridor in stages. While a partial launch can place a new service into operation, residents whose areas are excluded may not receive the immediate mobility benefit despite having experienced construction-related disruption. In Baner and Balewadi, the disagreement has therefore centred on the sequence and scope of the opening rather than opposition to the metro itself.
The Hinjewadi–Shivajinagar corridor is planned to operate across 17 stations in its initial service arrangement, but the Sakal report does not specify the exact number of Baner and Balewadi stations excluded, the reasons for their exclusion, or a confirmed date for their opening. No response from the implementing authority was included in the report.
The immediate next step is the planned commencement of metro services on the 17-station section, while residents continue to demand that the Baner-Balewadi stations be included before operations begin.
