Pune Municipal Corporation has no funds for Pune-Lonavla local

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to not to help the state government to lay the railway track for a shuttle service between Pune and Lonavla, after its general body rejected a government proposal.
The state government had suggested that PMC should give Rs 392 crore for this project.
The Mumbai Railway Development Corporation Ltd is expected to develop the 70km rail route.It will develop two additional tracks for local trains from Pune to Lonavla to improve connectivity and facilities for commuters.
After discussing the proposal, members of the committee said that the Union government should bear the financial burden of the project.
"The railway ministry can invest funds in this project as it has a separate budget. Considering the financial condition of the civic body, spending such a huge amount will be tough," a committee member said.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 2,306 crore. The state government will bear half the cost, while local self-government bodies, including the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and PMC, were asked to foot the remaining 50%. PMRDA has already approved its share - Rs 380.49 crore.
The proposal was rejected earlier by the standing committee in May.
According to PMC officials, the administration found it tough to fund the project. "The project will be implemented in areas which are not under the PMC's administrative jurisdiction. The proposal has neither a clear revenue-sharing formula nor details of direct benefits to PMC. Providing any help will be tough," an official said.
In January this year, the Union government had proposed the development of the corridor. They had written a letter asking the Maharashtra Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) to study the feasibility of improving the suburban train service in the Pune-Lonvala section. A proposal to start a new suburban local train service in the Pune-Daund section was also tabled.