With polls due, Union Cabinet to okay Pune Metro soon

Mumbai: The Pune Metro project would get the Union Cabinet nod soon, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said here today. [caption id=“attachment_1677303” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu. PTI[/caption] Naidu informed this to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, during a meeting at the state government’s Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai. “The Chief Minister invited Naidu for the ‘bhumipujan’ of the Colaba to Seepz phase three of Mumbai Metro and he accepted the invitation,” an official said, after the meeting. The administration of urban local bodies is becoming challenging in view of the rapid urbanisation and an all-India cadre for urban administration is needed, Chavan said. “Naidu immediately agreed to the Chief Minister’s proposal,” the official said. Naidu’s attention was also drawn towards the encroachment of land in Mumbai belonging to defence, railway and port trust. The Union Minister was informed about the work done by the slum rehabilitation authority and MHADA and the problems faced by them. PTI