The Pune district guardian minister, Ajit Pawar, has directed the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) to commence work on the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s (MSRTC) bus stand at Shivajinagar.
The state government is committed to releasing funds for the project upon its completion, he added.
Relocation of the ST stand
Despite the relocation of the ST stand for ongoing Pune Metro work, a dispute between the two entities has hindered the stand's shifting. Meetings between MSRTC officials and Maha Metro have failed to resolve the issue. The current arrangement has disrupted traffic flow on the old highway due to the slow movement of state transport buses to and from the bus stand.
In March 2023, Siddharth Shirole, the Member of the Legislative Assembly from Shivajinagar constituency in Pune, advocated for the MSRTC bus stand's return to its original location. In response to Shirole's concerns, Minister Dada Bhuse assured an assembly meeting to convene discussions with Maha Metro and MSRTC officials, promising the restoration of the ST stand to its original spot.
In a recent meeting involving MLA Shirole, divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao, and Maha-Metro’s managing director Shravan Hardikar, Minister Ajit Pawar emphasized the need for Maha-Metro to initiate work on the bus terminus and collaborate with MSRTC. Additionally, Pawar proposed that the divisional commissioner’s office allocate spaces at the Shivajinagar plot for government offices. The state government will allocate funds to cover the project expenditure.
