Dt. 06-06-2012 To Mr.

Prithviraj Chavan Chief Minister Maharashtra Dear Sir, Subject : Vanaz-Ramwadi elevated metro Independent feasibility study is a must It is reported that a team of UDD officials recently surveyed the Pune Metro Vanaz - Ramwadi corridor. We and other groups have been consistently bringing to the notice of PMC and the State Government (Chief Minister and UDD) several serious issues pertaining to the Vanaz Ramwadi elevated metro route. We as stakeholders should have been given an opportunity to present our views to the UDD team. We do not have information about the findings of your survey. However after our own study, we are strongly of the opinion that elevated metro is not feasible on this route due to practical problems and severe impacts as the area is already fully developed and roads are highly congested. In this regard we would once again highlight following specific problem areas A) Metro route through fully developed areas B) Alignment issues C) Road width issues D) Traffic during construction phase E) Metro stations F) Metro starting point G) Utility for citizens Please see attached Annexure for details. It is also to be noted that DMRC's own report indicates a low passenger density for the route (Chapter 6 - pg 6/22, 7/22, 14/22, 16/22, 18/22). Thus the utility of elevated metro on VanazRamwadi route is also very much in doubt. It appears that the only aspect that DMRC has considered is whether metro columns and metro stations can be physically constructed at planned locations after required demolition of buildings and land acquisition. The various relevant and vital issues highlighted above have not been addressed at all by DMRC. Kindly note that Metro is an irreversible long term commitment for the city and any decision proved wrong later would be absolutely disastrous for the city. We hence demand that the final decision about Pune Metro be kept on hold and a study by independent experts be first conducted to determine the feasibility of the Vanaz-Ramwadi elevated metro corridor with assessment of impacts and evaluation of alternatives. We should also be given adequate opportunity to present our views to the expert committee. We will appreciate your acknowledging this letter and responding to the serious issues raised by us from time to time. Signed by -

Prashant Inamdar
Pedestrians FIRST, Pune

Satish Khot National Society for Clean Cities, Pune Dr. Ketan Gokhale Ex- MD, Konkan Railway Corp.

Sujit Patwardhan Parisar, Pune Dr. Pratap Rawal Town Planning expert

Jugal Rathi
PMP Pravasi Manch

ANNEXURE A) Metro route through fully developed areas Vanaz-Ramwadi elevated metro route passes through fully developed densely populated areas and highly congested roads. Construction of elevated metro on this route with large columns at the road centre and massive metro stations will have several serious practical problems eg. land acquisition, demolition of buildings, shifting of underground utilities, metro alignment on existing roads with flyovers & sharp turns, hurdles in obtaining various statutory permissions etc. These problems will severely hamper and stall the metro project. This has also been the experience with metros in Mumbai, Bangalore, Jaipur etc. B) Alignment issues 1) Paud phata junction on Karve road - Alignment on this stretch will be very problematic due to existing flyover on one side of the road and less road width which is already insufficient for the heavy traffic. There is no footpath and cycle track on the road despite considerable pedestrian and cyclist movement including hundreds of school children. The road cannot be widened further due to the flyover on one side and a 100 mtr high building coming up on the other side which has access from this road itself. Metro columns on the road would further reduce carriageway width causing increased congestion on the road. The Paud phata junction is a very vital link as entire traffic from the densely populated suburbs of Warje, Karvenagar, Kothrud and Paud road areas has to the pass through this junction for proceeding to the city areas, PCMC areas, Satara road, Nagar road, Hadapsar etc. Metro at this junction will have a choking effect on this traffic. 2) Khandujibaba junction & Garware junction in Deccan Gymkhana area - Here there are sharp turns which metro cannot take. Hence the alignment will have to force it's way through existing built up area needing demolition of buildings coming in the way. 3) Sancheti junction - Here a grade separator has been built on the road and a flyover towards Engineering college is to be constructed over the existing Railway over bridge. Pune- Mumbai railway line also passes nearby. High rise building of Engineering college hostel is adjacent to the metro route just prior to the Sancheti junction. Metro has take to a right angle turn at this junction which looks quite problematic considering above factors. 4) Railway station crossing - Metro has to cross the entire width of the Pune Railway station which is a very busy railway junction. Railway permissions and constructional feasibility could pose serious problems during metro implementation. C) Road width issues 1) Karve road - This road is a vital arterial link for traffic from Kothrud, Warje, Paud road suburbs and there is no alternative road available. The road width is already insufficient for the traffic and BRT is also planned on this road. Metro columns would reduce carriageway width causing serious traffic congestion problems which would adversely affect mobility of people from the suburbs. Situation will be worse during construction phase as more than half the carriageway width would be blocked. 2) Maldhakka road, Mangalwar peth area, Sassoon hospital area, Railway station area, Jehangir hospital junction - Roads in these areas are already insufficient for existing heavy traffic and serious congestion problems are being faced. Situation would become horrific during metro construction phase and also later due to reduced carriageway width because of metro columns on road. D) Traffic during construction phase Metro route passes on highly congested roads with very heavy traffic. More than half the road carriageway width will get blocked during the prolonged construction period. There are no suitable alternative roads of adequate capacity for traffic diversion during the construction phase. As such traffic and mobility will become a nightmare for citizens seriously affecting their daily life.

-- 2 -Even at present large portions of the above roads do not have proper footpaths, pedestrian crossings, cycle tracks causing considerable hardships. Situation for pedestrians will become terrible and highly unsafe during the metro construction period. E) Metro stations Metro stations are massive with the main concourse being 35 metre wide and 70 metre long. The maximum height of station is 23 metres and total length is 140 mtr. Clear space available for the stations is insufficient at most locations where stations are planned eg. Nal stop, Garware college, Mangalwar peth, Railway station. This will need demolition of buildings and land acquisition. Metro station at Pataleshwar will have issues related to the ancient caves (which is a protected site of Archaeological department) and Jangli Maharaj mandir. Inadequate circulation space - There will be large inflow and outflow of people at metro stations. However stations are located in very congested areas due to which sufficient circulation and walking space cannot be provided for metro commuters and other pedestrians on road. Inadequate parking space - For the same reason it will also not be possible to provide adequate parking space for private vehicles of commuters. All this could lead to increased traffic congestion and unsafe conditions for metro commuters and pedestrians in the Metro station areas. F) Metro starting point - No clarity The starting point of the Vanaz-Ramwadi metro corridor is at Kothrud kachara depot where the metro depot for this corridor has also been planned. However Shivshrushti project is being set up by the PMC at the same location. Both these projects cannot be set up at the same location. There is no clarity regarding availability of sufficient land at the planned location for metro depot and starting point. G) Utility for citizens There are serious apprehensions that the Vanaz- Ramwadi elevated metro would not be of expected use for majority of citizens due to following reasons 1) High passenger density areas are not covered eg. Shivajinagar railway station and ST bus stand, Pune railway station and ST bus stand. Metro route does pass near these areas but the metro stations are not directly accessible. It will hence not be of practical use as passengers will not find it convenient to come out and walk the distance up to the metro station with luggage in hand. 2) Majority of commuters in the Warje, Kothrud, Paud road area branch off from Karve road to proceed towards and beyond Law College road, Mhatre bridge, Shastri road, Tilak road, Laxmi road etc. Metro route along Karve road and JM road would not be of use to these commuters. 3) Bus connectivity from Warje, Karvenagar, Kothrud suburbs to proposed Metro stations is not adequate. With no parking space available at metro stations, commuters will not be able to use own vehicle to travel up to metro station. Also further journey to desired destination after getting off the metro will be a problem due to poor onward bus connectivity. As such most of the people may still prefer own vehicle to metro at least for short and intemediate distances. 4) Due to above reasons expected reduction in traffic on road will also not take place. In fact number of vehicles on road may continue to rise and reduced carriage width due to metro alignment and stations would become a serious problem. 5) Vanaz-Ramwadi elevated metro cannot get interconnected with the future PCMC Shivajinagar - Swargate underground metro though both the corridors pass through the same Barve junction. This will make interchange between metro lines difficult for commuters. ----------------