Proposed Yerawada-Katraj underground tunnel under scanner again, consultant told to resubmit report

Pune: The proposed Yerawada-Katraj underground tunnel has come under scrutiny once again with Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (PUMTA) officials questioning the project's feasibility and directing the appointed consultant to rework and resubmit the pre-feasibility report.The officials said it was found at a recent PUMTA meeting that the study submitted by the consultant lacked adequate data and credible traffic projections. "Therefore, we sent the proposal back for review for the second time. When a project is estimated at Rs 32,000 crore, it must significantly benefit citizens. We told the consultant to refer to TomTom reports and hold discussions with experts to strengthen the report with solid technical inputs, and revert within 15 days," a senior official who attended the meeting told TOI.
"Unless a comprehensive and technically sound pre-feasibility study is submitted, the project cannot be approved," a PMRDA official said. Another official said the entry-exit points proposed in the report were not feasible too, despite multiple options being shown.The Yerawada-Katraj tunnel is envisioned as a north-south underground corridor connecting eastern Pune with its southern suburbs, cutting through some of the city's most congested stretches. The officials said the tunnel was expected to reduce travel time and ease pressure on major arterial roads by diverting through-traffic underground.This renewed scrutiny comes even as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated the need for underground infrastructure to tackle Pune's mounting traffic congestion. At a recent public event ahead of municipal elections, the CM had said surface road expansion had reached its limit, with roads covering just 9% of the city's land area while vehicular load had exceeded capacity more than two times.Referring to the earlier-announced tunnel project, Fadnavis had described underground connectivity — the ‘Paatal Lok' model — as vital to improving traffic flow.PMRDA officials said Fadnavis had repeatedly emphasised the importance of underground infrastructure for long-term urban mobility, stressing that surface-level solutions alone would not resolve Pune's traffic challenges. "The CM has clearly reiterated the push for underground connectivity. We will, however, move ahead only after we are fully convinced," a PMRDA official said.The proposal had previously triggered intense debate too. During earlier meetings, PUMTA members raised concerns over technical and financial feasibility, environmental impact, and cost-benefit justification. While some flagged the risks of tunnelling through sensitive hill terrain, others questioned whether the projected traffic volumes warranted such a high-cost intervention."Details related to alignment, cost breakup, funding mechanisms and execution timelines would be finalised after the revised feasibility report was reviewed by PUMTA," the official said.Urban planners have also remained cautious about the project. "Feasibility studies must realistically assess risks, not just project benefits," an expert said, citing potential geological challenges and escalating costs.