The state government has planned a Rs 2,600 crore urban transport fund for Pune, the fastest growing city in the state, but with the nastiest traffic, Pune will also have a 30-km, Rs 4,600(crore Metro Rail project soon, said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday after a review of the basic infrastructure in and around that city. A ring road costing Rs 2,300 crore has also been planned. The Metro decision is important in view of the sorry state of public transport in Pune, an important information technology hub.

Union Agriculture Minister Shared Pawar, who is president of the Nationalist Congress Party and wields considerable political clout in the Pune region, flew to the city especially for the meeting. He suggested additional basic facilities for not only Pune but also other areas in the vicinity like Chakan, where industries are setting up base in big numbers. The Rs 2,600 crore urban transport funds will be used to ease traffic conditions in Pune.