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Key projects’ fate hangs in balance as govt forms separate council for Uruli, Phursungi
While the PMC had recently undertaken work on the town planning schemes worth Rs700 crore and another project involving sewage lines, the civic body has now decided not to go ahead with these projects following the state government’s announcement late Tuesday
The Maharashtra government’s decision to remove Uruli Devachi and Phursungi from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and form a separate municipal council for these places has put a question mark on the fate of several major PMC projects currently in the pipeline over there. While the PMC had recently undertaken work on the town planning schemes worth Rs700 crore and another project involving sewage lines, the civic body has now decided not to go ahead with these projects following the state government’s announcement late Tuesday. Whereas local leaders said that the town planning and other schemes undertaken by the PMC in these areas will be completed.
Former minister and Balasaheb Thackeray Shiv Sena spokesperson Vijay Shivthare, who had taken the lead in forming the separate municipal council, said, “With the state government having announced forming a separate municipal council for Uruli Devachi and Phursungi, we will complete the town planning schemes that were earlier announced by the PMC.”
“After being merged with the PMC, the civic body did not provide infrastructure in these areas. Our main issue was that of water supply. The PMC was providing 120 water tankers daily but did not lay the water pipeline network. Even the taxes were high. Hence, we asked for a separate town planning scheme,” Shivthare said.
A senior officer from the PMC on condition of anonymity said, “The town planning work is critical. The PMC has almost completed the work. Actually, we heard chief minister Eknath Shinde’s announcement that the ongoing schemes in these areas will be completed by the PMC itself but we do not know the future of these schemes. We will be able to comment only after getting clear, written orders.”
The PMC has planned three town planning schemes at Uruli Devachi and two at Phursungi, and the civic body has completed most of the administrative work for these schemes and the work of land measurement is underway.
Asked why there had been no concrete development in the last five years despite the BJP being the ruling party in the PMC, Shivthare did not comment saying he would not speak on political questions. Interestingly, Shivthare was minister at the time the 11 villages including Uruli Devachi and Phursungi were merged with the PMC in 2017. At the time, he did not oppose the merger.
NCP dubs state govt decision ‘contempt of court’
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has challenged the municipal corporation’s election process in the Supreme Court. The final hearing on it is scheduled next week. City unit president Prashant Jagtap said, “The hearing on my petition against the Maharashtra government is pending in court. The apex court had clearly said that the state government should not take any such decision that will affect the election process and ward structure. As the chief minister all of a sudden decided to remove the two towns of Uruli Devachi and Phursungi from the PMC, it is contempt of court. We will bring this before the court. This is clearly a political decision.”
