Pune: The high-powered committee headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to oversee Pune’s major urban transport projects on Monday reviewed the progress of the High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR), Pune Ring Road, and the proposed underground tunnel network. The committee directed officials to accelerate planning, funding, and implementation of the three major infrastructure projects.SPV proposed to fund Pune mobility projectsChairing the meeting in Mumbai, Fadnavis said the committee would oversee the planning, financial management, implementation, and monitoring of the city’s key urban transport initiatives.“Chaired a meeting of the high-powered committee constituted for the planning, financial management, implementation, and monitoring of major urban transport projects in Pune,” the chief minister posted on X after the meeting.Deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, minister of state Madhuri Misal, senior officials from the state government, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, officials from Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Maha-Metro, and other departments attended the meeting.According to Ram, one of the key decisions taken at the meeting was to initiate the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to raise funds for the three projects. Ram said he, along with the PMRDA commissioner and other officials, would be part of the SPV, which would primarily focus on financing the proposed HCMTR, tunnel network, and ring road projects.“The chief minister discussed making nearly 30% of the government-owned land required for the HCMTR project available to PMC free of cost to improve the project’s financial viability,” Ram said.On the Pune Ring Road project, the committee emphasised the need to expedite land acquisition to ensure that the long-pending project moves forward without further delays.The proposed underground tunnel network was also discussed in detail. Ram said the alignment prepared by PMRDA’s consultant was preliminary and did not meet current requirements. The committee discussed appointing an international consultant to prepare a fresh detailed project report (DPR) and finalise the tunnel alignment through expert studies.Officials discussed the future of PMRDA’s proposed Town Planning (TP) schemes, including whether they should be cancelled due to their impact on land availability for major infrastructure projects. A final decision on the matter is yet to be taken.During the meeting, Ram made a presentation on the HCMTR project.According to a PMC statement, the chief minister and deputy chief ministers reviewed the proposal and said the HCMTR would help create an integrated transport network by connecting metro corridors, the ring road, bus services, and other public transport systems.The statement added that the state government assured administrative, financial, and technical support for the project and directed various agencies to improve coordination to expedite implementation.The meeting assumes significance as the state government recently constituted a high-powered committee, chaired by the chief minister, to oversee Pune’s long-term transport infrastructure projects. An action committee headed by Ram has also been formed to coordinate among implementing agencies and execute the decisions taken by the high-powered panel.The HCMTR is a proposed network of high-capacity urban corridors aimed at enabling seamless movement across Pune through dedicated transport routes integrated with metro and other public transport systems.The Pune Ring Road, being implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), is a proposed access-controlled peripheral road designed to reduce congestion by diverting through traffic away from the city’s core areas.The proposed 54-km tunnel network is planned as a system of underground road corridors to improve east-west and north-south connectivity while reducing surface-level traffic congestion in Pune.