Pune: Tender Process To Begin For 36-Km HCMTR Project, Says Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol

Pune: Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol has announced that instructions have been issued to immediately begin the tender process for Pune's long-pending High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) project, marking a fresh push for one of the city's oldest transport proposals.

In a post on X on Thursday, Mohol said he had directed officials to expedite the tender process following a detailed review meeting with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials. He said the project is being taken forward under the vision and special initiative of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

According to Mohol, the proposed HCMTR will be a circular corridor of around 36 kilometres with a width of up to 24 metres. The route is expected to improve connectivity between the eastern and western parts of Pune, as well as the north and south, while helping ease traffic congestion across the city.

He said officials have been instructed to complete the tender process at the earliest so that construction can begin soon. Mohol added that the government is committed to completing the project as quickly as possible, describing it as a key step towards creating a faster and better-planned urban transport system for Pune.

The HCMTR is a long-proposed transport corridor planned by the PMC to divert through traffic away from the city's congested core. The approximately 36-km route was first conceived more than four decades ago and was incorporated into Pune's Development Plan in 1987. It is designed as an inner urban corridor and is separate from both the PMRDA's Inner Ring Road and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation's (MSRDC) Pune Ring Road.

Over the years, the project has faced repeated delays due to land acquisition issues, environmental concerns, legal challenges and rising construction costs. Sections of the proposed alignment have also drawn opposition from environmental groups over their proximity to Vetal Tekdi.

In 2025, the PMC removed HCMTR reservations from parts of the Development Plan, leading to speculation that the project had been scrapped. However, the civic body later clarified that the proposal had only been kept in abeyance and had not been permanently dropped.

The latest announcement signals a renewed effort by the government to revive the long-delayed infrastructure project by moving it into the tendering stage.