Rs 1K crore PMRDA budget gets nod

Mumbai: Just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the state government on Friday approved a Rs 1,722 crore budget for the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The decision was taken by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after holding a meeting with the guardian minister of Pune Girish Bapat and housing minister Prakash Mehta.

Mr Fadnavis said that the development of PMRDA would be promoted through this budget. In order to develop the city, infrastructure and economic development would gather pace. He also directed the PMRDA to prepare a development plan, as approved by the authority.

An official said that out of the Rs 1,722 crore, 23 per cent would be spent on the metro and 33 per cent on Ring Road. According to a statement issued by the government, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban) scheme, houses would be constructed jointly under a joint venture with "MahaHousing". The chief minister also approved a proposal for reserving 14 locations measuring 13.3 hectares for this scheme.