A day after the Supreme Court directed the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to obtain environmental clearance before proceeding with the proposed Balbharati–Paud Phata Link Road, civic officials announced plans to visit the project site on Friday to chart the next steps.

The PMC also intends to appoint a consultant to prepare and submit the necessary documentation for environmental approval. City Engineer Prashant Waghmare said the civic administration will prioritise full compliance with the court’s order to ensure the project can begin without further delay.

“We carried out a site inspection and discussed how to proceed following the Supreme Court’s directions. The PMC will appoint a consultant to secure approval from the environment department and aims to obtain it within two months,” Waghmare said.

An official, requesting anonymity, added that preparatory work is being fast-tracked. “There is now a clear go-ahead from the court, provided environmental norms are met. Once the clearance is received, we will immediately begin execution,” the official noted.

Originally proposed in 1987, the 2.1-kilometre Balbharati–Paud Phata Link Road project has faced decades of delays due to recurring legal disputes and opposition from environmental groups. The planned alignment passes through an ecologically sensitive portion of the Indian Law Society (ILS) Hill, linking Paud Phata to Balbharati on Law College Road.

On Wednesday, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai directed the PMC not to begin construction until environmental clearance is obtained. The court also instructed the state’s Environmental Impact Assessment Authority to decide on the proposal within three months.

Valued at Rs 1.6 billion, the project is expected to ease traffic congestion on major arterial routes such as Law College Road, Fergusson College Road, and Karve Road once completed.

However, environmental activists continue to oppose the project, arguing that construction on ILS Hill could harm the city’s green cover and disrupt groundwater recharge in the surrounding areas.