Won't disturb GMRT for Pune-Nashik railway project: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday that the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) will not be shifted for the upcoming Pune-Nashik rail project.

He said the only alternative is to change the railway project alignment.

GMRT is located in Khodad village near Narayangaon, around 60 km from Pune, off the Pune-Nashik Highway.

Researchers have expressed apprehensions over the likely disruption of the scientific facility's operations after the Pune-Nashik semi-high-sped rail project was given in-principle approval by the Centre.

NCP (SP) MP Amol Kolhe recently proposed GMRT's relocation to facilitate the project.

"GMRT, located between Nashik and Pune, was a challenge for the project. It's not the telescope for India, but it also belongs to 23 countries. We will have to make all these countries agree to shift telescopes.

"Shifting means weakening the most powerful facility of scientific research in India. That is why we decided not to shift GMRT from its current location," Vaishnaw said while addressing a press conference at C-DAC, Pune.

He said the only option left is to change the alignment of the proposed railway project.

"If we see the area and go towards the Arabian Sea in the west, we have ghats. If we move there, the project will get difficult. The other side is between the Manmad-Ahilyanagar route. The Manmad, Ahilyanagar -Daund route is already there. There is an option of a parallel alignment along this route," he said.

Vaishnaw said the second option is from the Nashik- Shirdi-Ahilyanagar-Pune high-speed route. "On these two options, the team is working and we will have results soon," he added.

The GMRT functioning will not be affected as it is a great heritage for us. It is clear that the observatory will not be disturbed and the Pune-Nashik railway project will also materialise.