Msrtc Seeks Aarey Dairy Land For Mega St Bus Terminal At Wakdewadi

PUNE: With the long-pending issue of a permanent state transport (ST) bus terminal at Shivajinagar still unresolved, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has sought transfer of the entire Aarey Dairy land at Wakdewadi for development of a m... PUNE: With the long-pending issue of a permanent state transport (ST) bus terminal at Shivajinagar still unresolved, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has sought transfer of the entire Aarey Dairy land at Wakdewadi for development of a modern, expansive bus terminal. The Pune division of the MSRTC formally submitted the proposal to the state government on June 1. MSRTC officials on Tuesday said that in the event the land is allotted, it could pave the way for one of the largest and most modern ST bus terminals in Maharashtra, benefitting thousands of passengers who use the facility every day. The Shivajinagar ST bus terminal – one of the busiest and most important ST bus depots in the state – has been operating from the Aarey Dairy premises at Wakdewadi since 2020 after its original land at Shivajinagar was handed over for the Pune Metro project. Under the original plan, the Maha-Metro was expected to construct a new, integrated ST terminal as part of the metro station project. However, following a change in the state government, the agreement between the MSRTC and Maha-Metro did not materialise, leaving the redevelopment project in limbo. More than six years later, a permanent ST terminal is yet to be constructed. In the interim, operations were shifted to Wakdewadi. While passengers initially faced difficulties accessing the temporary terminal, those concerns have eased over time. MSRTC officials now contend that the remaining Aarey Dairy land adjoining the existing terminal should also be transferred to the MSRTC, enabling the development of a full-fledged transport hub capable of meeting future demand. According to the MSRTC, it currently retains only about 1.18 hectares of land at the original Shivajinagar site. As per officials, this area is inadequate for a large bus terminal, workshops, parking facilities and other operational requirements. By contrast, the Aarey Dairy property at Wakdewadi spans nearly two hectares, providing sufficient space for a modern terminal complex, bus parking bays, maintenance facilities and residential quarters for drivers and staff. Arun Siya, divisional controller of the MSRTC Pune division, said that the corporation has formally requested the state government to allot the Aarey Dairy land for the development of a permanent transport hub. “The demand for transfer of the Aarey Dairy land at Wakdewadi has been submitted because the existing and future requirements of Pune’s busiest ST depot cannot be adequately met within the limited space available elsewhere. If this land is allotted to the MSRTC, we will be able to plan and develop a large-scale, state-of-the-art bus terminal with modern passenger amenities, organised parking facilities, operational infrastructure and accommodation for transport staff. Such a project would not only strengthen MSRTC services but also provide substantial convenience to lakhs of passengers travelling to and from Pune. Given