Pune will see its long-awaited Ring Road project move closer to reality as the Maharashtra government approved the release of ₹17,000 crore to speed up land acquisition for nine high-priority infrastructure corridors across the state. The decision came after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired a high-level meeting with top officials and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) representatives in Mumbai.
The ₹17,000 crore outlay is part of a broader ₹36,000 crore package allocated for acquiring land for expressways, multimodal corridors, and key connector roads spanning multiple districts. The Pune Ring Road alone accounts for ₹9,000 crore of this budget, reflecting the urgency with which the state intends to push forward stalled or delayed mega projects under the MSRDC’s mandate. According to Anilkumar Gaikwad, Managing Director and Vice-Chairman of MSRDC, land acquisition for some projects — including the Jalna–Nanded expressway and the Pune Ring Road — is nearly complete. Other corridors, such as the Shaktipeeth expressway, the Virar–Alibaug multimodal expressway, and three critical roadways in Vidarbha, are still in the land measurement and survey phase.
The Shaktipeeth expressway, branded as the ‘Golden Triangle’, is being planned to connect Goa, Mumbai, and Nagpur — three pivotal commercial and religious nodes. So far, 86 out of 300 affected villages have completed the initial land measurements, with the remainder expected by August. The expressway is being promoted as a spiritual and economic corridor, aiming to link pilgrimage centres while strengthening east-west connectivity. Chief Minister Fadnavis underscored that land acquisition delays result in cost overruns and implementation fatigue. He directed the Finance Department to immediately release ₹12,000 crore to keep momentum intact. He also instructed the Forest Department to fast-track clearances, particularly in ecologically sensitive stretches such as the Morbe–Karanja segment of the Virar–Alibaug corridor.
Notably, the Pune Ring Road is seen as a critical urban decongestion project, with the potential to divert long-distance freight and commuter traffic away from the saturated city centre. Once completed, it will serve as a high-capacity arterial route facilitating cross-regional movement, reducing air pollution, and freeing up core urban corridors for local transit. Fadnavis also called for implementation model finalisation immediately after land acquisition — including frameworks like Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) or Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to ensure financial viability without delays.
The Virar–Alibaug corridor, pegged at ₹22,000 crore, is one of the most ambitious multimodal transport initiatives in the region. By linking the Konkan coastline to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), it aims to boost economic integration, facilitate cargo movement, and reduce travel time drastically. The Vadhwan–Samruddhi and Navgaon–Morgaon connectors are also being prioritised under this funding round. In Vidarbha, acquisition plans for the Bhandara–Gadchiroli, Nagpur–Chandrapur, and Nagpur–Gondiya corridors have been pushed up the queue. Additionally, the government reviewed critical mineral and logistics corridors such as the Navegaon (Mor)–Surjagad mineral route, which is set to integrate mining supply chains with rail and road networks.
Fadnavis made it clear that land acquisition for these mineral corridors, as well as railway projects such as Wardha–Nanded and Vadsa–Gadchiroli, must begin immediately. “Agencies must work on mission mode,” he said, directing that all departments adhere strictly to timelines. The review also included planned greenfield airports in Kolhapur, Karad, Akola, Gadchiroli, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, with Fadnavis instructing officials to integrate land acquisition seamlessly into MSRDC’s master planning schedule.
Infrastructure analysts have welcomed the funding announcement as a turning point for Maharashtra’s capital and logistics ecosystem, noting that timely land acquisition is often the weakest link in India’s infrastructure pipeline. The CM’s emphasis on coordination between departments, early clearances, and flexible implementation models signals a state-led push to preempt cost escalations and bureaucratic delays. With projects spanning urban centres, pilgrimage routes, industrial corridors, and tribal districts, the roadmap also reflects a balanced regional development strategy.
If executed to plan, the ₹17,000 crore land acquisition package could unlock multi-billion-rupee infrastructure investments, boost employment, and improve connectivity for both freight and passengers across Maharashtra.
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Pune Ring Road Gets Boost as Rs17000 Cr Land Fund
