The proposed Pune-Nashik railway line has become a point of contention ever since Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the route would be realigned to protect the operations of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) — the first Indian facility to detect gravitational waves — in Khodad.
Speaking to the media in Pune last month, Vaishnaw declared the GMRT "a national and global scientific treasure" and said the railways was considering two alternatives — one parallel to the Manmad-Ahilyanagar-Daund-Pune route and another connecting Nashik to Shirdi, Ahilyanagar and Pune.
Earlier, NCP-SP Shirur MP Amol Kolhe invited outrage and sharp reactions from the scientific community when he wrote to the minister of state for PMO Jitendra Singh to direct the GMRT authorities to "either devise a technical solution to avoid objection to the Pune-Nashik railway line project or relocate the GMRT project to a suitable location free of population and development pressures."
Kolhe said that he was not against the GMRT, but scientists and the government should consider the region's development. "GMRT should discuss the matter with the Railways and devise a solution with some adjustments for the coexistence of both projects. If that is not possible, GMRT should be relocated because scrapping the railway project is not a solution as that will hamper the development of Junnar and its people," he said.
Now, MLC Satyajeet Tambe has also opposed the alternate route. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "The Pune-Nashik railway must follow the direct route via Nashik-Sinnar-Sangamner-Manchar-Chakan, not the Shirdi-Ahilyanagar detour. A new DPR is in progress, and we must intensify our fight."
Listing points why it's necessary to follow the original route, he added, "The new route adds 70-80 km & 1.5 hours, defeating the semi-high-speed goal. The direct route is vital for the Pune-Nashik-Mumbai Golden Triangle. GMRT issues can be solved with tunnels. Traffic congestion on the Pune-Nashik route is worsening due to industrialisation. Pune-Ahilyanagar railway isn't an alternative to Pune-Nashik."
