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MSRTC to develop 'mega cities' to support expressway

The cabinet has cleared a proposal by the state-owned Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation to develop two large townships to make good the deficit of Rs 1.88 billion to complete its Rs 4.7 billion Bombay-Pune expressway by the end of this year.

For this purpose land will be given to private entrepreneurs for commercial exploitation. This will enable the corporation to fill the 40 per cent gap in the estimated cost of the expressway. The government has opted to develop the 'mega city' project since toll revenue alone would not ensure viability of the road project, state Public Works Department Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

Speaking to reporters, Gadkari said land for the townships would be acquired in addition to that required to construct the expressway project at Dehu Road, adjacent to Pune city. Land would also be acquired near Chowk in Panvel taluka in Raigad district, he said.

About 375 hectare of land to be acquired at Dehu Road will be used for residential complexes, pollution-free industries, warehousing, the entertainment industry and allied purposes, while 1030 hectares of land in Chowk are intended for industries a township required for industrial activity, he said.

Gadkari said the MSRDC would provide basic infrastructure to these townships including electricity, drinking water, roads and drainage. In addition to this basic infrastructure, MSRDC will ensure the townships will have a large number of playgrounds, public gardens and places of public utilities, making them more attractive to prospective purchasers.

The government has also approved a comprehensive package scheme of compensation and rehabilitation for 6000 plot holders falling in the land to be acquired for the townships. The minister said he hoped that many writ petitions filed by the plot holders from Pune district in the high court would be withdrawn once they knew of the scheme. The decision had been taken after a series of discussions held with representatives of those who owned the plots, he said.

Under the scheme those holding individual plots up to the area of 0.40 hectares will be treated as plot holders and given land equivalent to their present holding ranging between minimum 70 sq meters and maximum 465 sq meters. The present landowner would pay development charges for provision of infrastructure facilities to MSRDC ranging between Rs 200 and Rs 600.

Landowners holding land above 0.40 hectares at Chowk and Dehu Road will get 12.5 per cent of their land fully developed after charging of development charges. The plots and 12.5 per cent will be given only to those persons who do not challenge the land acquisition proceeding in the court of law. The above facility will be available to the transactions of the landowners who have registered their properties before April 2, 1997, he said.

Gadkari said the state government had considered the interests of the thousands of small plot holders who had purchased small plots for their personal uses in the vicinity of Pune.

The land acquisition proceedings for mega cities were in full swing. After the government transfers the land to MSRDC by the government, the corporation will start the process of planning model townships, he said.

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