E-Paper
PMRDA to collect revenue generated from building permissions in 23 merged villages
PUNE For the next two years, the PMRDA (Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority) has been mandated by the state government to collect revenue generated from building permissions in the 23 villages now part of the Pune Municipal Corporation
PUNE For the next two years, the PMRDA (Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority) has been mandated by the state government to collect revenue generated from building permissions in the 23 villages now part of the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “As the state government appointed PMRDA as a special planning authority, it will have powers to approve building plans and recover building permission revenue, till the DP is completed. PMC will get revenue from property and water tax from these 23 villages.”
The PMC’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly opposed the state government’s decision.
Leader of house Ganesh Bidkar said, “It is very sad that the PMC will spend money in these areas to provide water, collect garbage, install street lights and the money will go to the PMRDA. If the state government has so much interest, first it needed to complete the DP process with the help of PMRDA and then merge these villages.”
Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “The state government is playing politics with the merging of villages. For the elections they wanted to merge villages, but at the same time it is not letting go of its right to collect money from building permission.”
Standing committee chairman Hemant Rasane said, “The PMRDA did not hand over Rs300 crore from building permissions in the previous 11 villages merged. Again they are going to collect money from newly merged 23 villages.”
Administrative sources confirmed that construction activity in these villages is high and it is expected that Rs200 crore revenue will get generated per annum. The PMRDA does not have a mechanism to take action against illegal constructions, which the PMC has.
