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Pune polls: Politicos shy away from forming planning body

The plan for comprehensive and simultaneous development of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and neighbouring areas is still stuck in the pipeline for want of political will.

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The plan for comprehensive and simultaneous development of Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and neighbouring areas is still stuck in the pipeline for want of political will. The much-awaited state government’s notification for the formation of the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) remains on the drawing board, stalling the holistic growth of Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR).

However, not a single party has made this issue a part of its election manifesto for the forthcoming civic elections.

Other than the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, the PMR was to include the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Dehu and Khadki cantonment boards and peripheral areas. Working on the lines of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), the PMRDA was to be the apex planning body for the whole region.

The need for an apex planning body has risen time and again with the growth of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas. The inflow of large-scale funds to PMC and PCMC from the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has given a major boost to infrastructure growth in these areas.

IT parks in Hinjewadi, Tathawade, special economic zone (SEZ) in Chakan, Wagholi and Hadapsar have been cited by town planners as catalyst for growth in Pune and neighbouring regions. With the migration of skilled and semi-skilled work force in the region, the real estate industry has also seen substantial growth in the recent years.

However, the civic infrastructure in both the regions has not been able to keep up with this growth. Former joint director town planning, Ramchandra Gohad, cites the patchy development of the region due to lack of an apex planning authority.

“So far, the development plans (DP) of both PMC and PCMC and regional plans (RP) of Pune district are the only planning guidelines for the development of the area. However, as both the DPs have been developed for the boundaries of the respective municipal corporations, growth of the region has not been inclusive,” he said.

The need for an apex planning can be understood, given the eschewed development of some of the infrastructural projects that have been undertaken. For example, the bus rapid transit system (BRTS) in Pune has been implemented in the median fashion, while the BRT in PCMC has been planned on the left-hand side of the road. The ministry of urban development had directed the BRT to be developed concurrently in both the regions.

The metro project, for both PMC and PCMC, has also to be implemented concurrently, which is going astray for want of an apex planning body.

The ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that made the passage of the PMRDA as one of its election promises in its 2007 manifesto dropped it from the manifesto of 2012.

Congress leader Aba Bagul claimed that PMRDA would start its operation from 2013. “Like MMRDA, the chief minister would be the chairman of PMRDA and deputy chief minister would be the vice-chairman. 22 members have been nominated in the body.

The budget of PMRDA has been finalised at Rs5,000 crore, which would be used to develop the infrastructure of PMR,” he said.

However, BJP MLA Girish Bapat claimed that the state government has done precious little for the formation of PMRDA. “The government has deliberately put brakes on the path of the PMRDA. Post the decision to form the PMRDA, it was decided that the corporations would allocate funds for staffing the authority.

However, no money has been allocated yet. The committee headed by the chief minister had never had a single meeting,” he said.

Bapat blamed the deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, for the sorry state of affairs. “Pawar is scared that post the formation of the PMRDA, power would slip away from PMC and PCMC, which he does not want,” he said.

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