The Maharashtra government on Thursday approved the merger of six cantonment boards with their respective/nearby municipal corporations. However, it decided to retain Dehu Road Cantonment as a separate entity, citing its sensitive nature.
Of the seven cantonment boards in Maharashtra, six will be merged with their respective/nearby municipal bodies while Dehu Road will be the only cantonment board to remain independent due to security and strategic considerations. As part of the decision, the Pune Cantonment and Khadki Cantonment will be merged with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Both the state government and defence ministry have given their consent to the merger. With the inclusion of these two areas, PMC’s jurisdiction will expand by approximately 1.65 square kilometres.
The entire merger process is expected to be complete within the next three months, officials said.
A high-level meeting was chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to review the merger plans on Thursday. The issue had been under discussion for the past five years, and the state government has now given ‘in-principle’ approval. The proposal will now be forwarded to the central government for final clearance. Since the merger was originally proposed by the Centre, state officials expect no hurdles in securing the required approvals.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s meeting was also attended by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule; social welfare minister Sanjay Shirsath; housing minister Atul Save; minister of state for urban development Madhuri Misal; MLA Siddharth Shirole; Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram; Pune collector Jitendra Dudi; Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh; CEOs of the Pune and Khadki cantonment boards; and senior defence officials.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Thursday’s meeting was also attended by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule; social welfare minister Sanjay Shirsath; housing minister Atul Save; minister of state for urban development Madhuri Misal; MLA Siddharth Shirole; Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram; Pune collector Jitendra Dudi; Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh; CEOs of the Pune and Khadki cantonment boards; and senior defence officials.
{{/usCountry}}Shirole said, “The chief minister and defence ministry have both approved the merger of the Pune and Khadki cantonments with the PMC. All formalities are expected to be completed within three months. The roles of the defence department and the civic body will be clearly defined. While the defence authorities will continue to oversee sensitive establishments, the PMC will be responsible for civic services in civilian areas. The PMC’s development norms will be implemented, keeping in mind existing defence restrictions.”