Pune: A long-pending proposal to hand over a land plot of around 7,000 sq ft in Dhankawdi for an underground Metro station on the Swargate-Katraj route has been tabled before PMC’s City Improvement Committee (CIC). Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) had earlier approached the civic administration in want of land for the station.Sources from the civic administration told TOI that the proposal is expected to be approved by CIC in the next few days. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Maha Metro have already held joint inspections of the plot.Maha Metro has started groundwork on the Swargate-Katraj underground Metro route, which covers a distance of 5.5km and will host five underground stations. Land is required to construct entry and exit points of the latter and develop other infrastructure required for the movement of commuters.Metro officials said work has been progressing at the expected pace. Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are likely to arrive by next month and tunnel excavation will then begin from both ends (Swargate and Katraj). For now, Maha Metro has installed barricades at various locations along the stretch on Satara Road to assist work.Civic officials said all technical formalities in handing over the land plot will be completed soon. Following a nod from CIC, the proposal will be referred to the PMC general body and standing committee for their respective approvals.Demand for garden in Wagholi before CICCIC is also expected to take a call on a proposal to develop a public garden in Wagholi, which has been part of PMC since 2021.Local corporator Ramdas Dabhade, who tabled the proposal before CIC, said that despite being part of PMC, the Wagholi area is still deprived of various public amenities, one of them being a public garden for residents.“A plot of land has been identified for the garden. The civic administration should expedite steps to get hold of it and start development of the green space,” said Dabhade. He added that the population of Wagholi has been on the rise for the last few years because of development of new residential projects, but public services have not kept pace.“PMC must start surveys for public facilities like gardens, public toilets and schools in this area,” Dabhade emphasised.
