The Public Investment Board (PIB) of the Union Finance Ministry has cleared Pune Merto Rail project on Friday in a meeting held at New Delhi. Now, the proposal will be forwarded to the union cabinet for a final nod before it is implemented.

The center’s push to the much-delayed Pune Metro rail project has given a boost to BJP’s confidence of gaining power, ahead of the 2017 civic elections.

This has led other political parties, including the ruling NCP in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), allege that the BJP deliberately delayed the project in the past to cash in on it just ahead of the civic polls.

The BJP leaders were fast to claim the credit for pushing the Pune Metro rail. Guardian minister Girish Bapat attended the PIB meeting along with the state as well as PMC officers. After the meeting, Bapat said, “It was his prime responsibility to see that the Pune Metro rail project gets implemented as soon as possible. The project has been pending for years with previous Congress-NCP-led government.”

“We would like to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis lay the foundation stone for the Pune Metro rail,” Bapat said.

City BJP MP Anil Shirole said, “I am satisfied to fulfill the three promises of Smart City, new international airport and Pune Metro rail project being implemented in the city in the first two years of becoming MP. The citizens should now get BJP to power in PMC with full majority for effective implementation of the three projects.”

For Metro Rail Project, World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment (AII) Bank have sanctioned an amount of Rs 6,325.50 crore.

The Pune Metro plan was submitted to the public investment board in 2014. The total proposed length of the metro in Pune is 31.51 km. It will run on two corridors the first 16.59 km between Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and Swargate and the second 14.92 km from Vanaz to Ramwadi.