The Maharashtra government has formed a high level committee chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to fast track three major road infrastructure projects in Pune. The move responds to concerns that the city’s road network is inadequate amid rapid urbanisation and strong economic growth. The committee includes senior state officials, elected representatives and the municipal commissioners of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, while an executive committee led by the Pune Municipal Commissioner will manage day to day administration. The committees are to ensure coordination between departments, smooth land acquisition, mobilisation of funds and oversight of financial management and project tracking. The high level panel will take policy and financing decisions and the executive committee will handle routine implementation and inter agency coordination. Officials from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the police will be part of the executive group. The projects comprise a 64 km underground tunnel network across five corridors to decongest arterial roads, a 36 km High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR) ring corridor to feed radial roads and the Metro network, and an 86 km Pune Inner Ring Road proposed by the PMRDA to improve regional connectivity. The ring corridor is intended to decentralise traffic and strengthen public transport, while the tunnel network aims to relieve pressure on the existing road grid. The high level committee will steer execution and financial arrangements, supported by the executive committee for administrative processes. The government noted that Pune is among India’s fastest growing cities and has emerged as a hub for education, healthcare, information technology, industry, research and services. It said nearly 25 per cent of the country’s Global Capability Centres are located in the Pune Metropolitan Region, driving employment and investment. Rapid urbanisation, a rising population and increasing vehicle ownership have strained transport infrastructure, with roads accounting for about nine per cent of the city’s area and a need for an integrated urban mobility system to develop Pune as a Pune Metropolitan Region Growth Hub.