India, July 15 -- The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has ruled out the possibility of aligning the proposed Pune-Nashik industrial corridor with the upcoming semi-high-speed rail line. Officials cited technical and financial constraints, deeming the alternative alignment unfeasible.

The state government had asked MSRDC to explore the realignment option in response to mounting opposition from farmers and landowners along the original 213 km highway route. The idea was to minimise land acquisition challenges by leveraging the existing corridor being developed for rail.

However, MSRDC's detailed report, submitted last week, says the two infrastructures serve fundamentally different purposes and cannot be integrated....