Govt eyes to make Pune, its metropolitan region one of most sought-after areas in 2 years: Fadnavis

Pune: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the state government has prepared a "very vibrant plan" to transform Pune and its metropolitan region over the next two years, which will make it the one of the most sought-after urban areas to live and work.

He also admitted that the rapid expansion of Pune and the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) had outpaced the development of urban infrastructure.

Fadnavis inaugurated and unveiled a stone plaque of the Magnum Ice Cream Company's Global Capability Centre (GCC) here.


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Speaking on the occasion, he said, "It is true that the pace at which the entire Pune and the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) have expanded, somehow we could not keep the pace of infrastructure that matched its pace of urbanisation." A coordinated team comprising the municipal commissioners, district collector, PMR commissioner and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) CEO had prepared a "very vibrant plan" for the region.

"We are going to transform this entire area in the next two years. It will be one of the most livable areas," he said.

The CM said the government would finance the plan, and its implementation would begin within the next two months.

"Next two years, things will be totally changed. And this will be one of the most sought-after urban areas to live and work. That is my promise to all of you," he said.

Fadnavis said the government was also focusing on improving mobility in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the wider PMR region.

He said projects, such as the outer ring road, inner ring road and High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR), along with new tunnels, were being planned to create a comprehensive mobility network.

"We are focused a lot on increasing the speed of commutation and the speed of mobility in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and PMR area," he said.

The CM said the Shivajinagar-Hinjawadi Metro corridor was also expected to start operations this month.

"All this work is not a distant dream. It's going to start very soon. Few initiatives have already started. And we want to complete all the work in the next three years -- by 2029," Fadnavis said.

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He said the government aims to make Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and the PMR region one of the country's most advanced mobility-enabled areas by 2029.

Fadnavis also highlighted Maharashtra's growing prominence as a destination for GCCs, and said the state government was committed to implementing its GCC policy.

"When we made this policy, our goal was to attract 400 GCCs. In the first year itself, the number 130 was crossed," he said, expressing confidence that the state could cross the target of 800 and potentially reach 1,000 GCCs.

He said Pune had ranked second in GCC leasing last year and challenged officials to make the city the country's top destination in 2026.

"We have to make it number one. And I am very sure that when we see the results of 2026, Pune will be number one, Maharashtra will be number one," he said.

Fadnavis said what differentiated Maharashtra from other states was that its policies were not merely documents but were implemented "in letter and spirit".

"For us, policy is not just a paper. Policy is something which we need to implement in letter and spirit. And that is why we deliver what we promise and we promise what we can deliver," he said.

He also welcomed the establishment of the Magnum GCC in Pune, saying the facility would employ more than 1,000 people and generate indirect employment.

The company's presence in Mumbai and its manufacturing facility in Nashik made it, in his words, "Maharashtra's global company", the CM said.

The state government and businesses working together could create a strong ecosystem for investment and employment, according to him.

"When the government and the businesses work together, we create a great ecosystem," Fadnavis said.

He added that companies operating successfully in Maharashtra could act as ambassadors for the state's business-friendly environment.

Fadnavis also said the government was itself seeking to adopt technology and innovation in its functioning, drawing a parallel with the global capability centres being established by companies.

"Our GCCs are different. But we have to have global capability centres in the government as well," he said.