Karjat-Panvel link work to gain pace

PUNE, Nov 2: Pune Lok Sabha member Pradeep Rawat today said that Minister of State for Railways Mamata Banerjee had agreed his request to...

PUNE, Nov 2: Pune Lok Sabha member Pradeep Rawat today said that Minister of State for Railways Mamata Banerjee had agreed his request to expedite Karjat-Panvel rail link, which would reduce journey time between Pune and Mumbai.

Addressing a press conference, Rawat said Karjat-Panvel was vital for the growth of city because the nearest international airpor was in Mumbai. Rawat opined that the cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore had emerged as IT cities in the

recent past because of the presence of international airport. He maintained that Pune city, which had all the potential to come up as an IT city, was lagging behind only because of the lack of an international airport.

According to Rawat, foreign investment could flow in the city if the Mumbai-Pune journey period could be reduced by completing Karjat-Panvel rail link which could also prove helpful for Mumbai. Rawat said the city, so far could not have international airport because of the rules of the Defence Ministry. He said according to defence rules, airport within 50 km radius of defence air base was not allowed. Rawat said Mamata Banerjee had even agreed to visit the site of Karjat-Panvel rail link if required.

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Rawat said he also met Defence Minister George Fernandes, who had agreed to look into various problems arising out of the Defence Ministry’s land around Pune city. Works like road widening and construction of new roads could not be initiated because of defence land, he said.

Rawat said he had also taken up the issue of mass transit railway with the Urban Development ministry while he had urged Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi to sanction an apex institute like Indian Institute of Information Technology for the city.

`PMT to be blamed for its crisis’
BJP MP Pradeep Rawat today blamed `political management’ of Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) for its present state. Rawat said the service of PMT would never be improved because of short term measures, but needs all party introspection over the city’s traffic problem. Rawat said the PMT has always been run politically and not professionally.

He underlined the need for involvement of professional persons in managing the PMT. Rawat said workers alone could not be held responsible for the PMT’s present status but the main problem was with the management. Rawat said he was not against the idea of privatising the PMT service.