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State to waive off additional development charge of PMRDA, ₹1,926 crore budget approved
The proposal of the 2.5 km last mile connectivity skyway for connecting various IT companies to the Metro station has also been approved
The state government on Wednesday waived off additional development charges collected by Pune Metropolitan Region development Authority (PMRDA) in the last five years- from July 2018 to April 2023. The PMRDA had collected ₹332 crore during this period.
The decision was taken by chef minister Eknath Shinde during the PMRDA annual budget meeting. In the meeting held in Mumbai, the CM also approved a budget of ₹1,926 crore for the year of 2023-24.
During the meeting, a proposal to increase the additional development fee arrears in proposals sanctioned from July 18, 2018 to April 16, 2023 was discussed in light of the Pune Metro Line 3 project.
CM instructed officials to explore the possibility of levying additional sector-wise development charges from April 2023 onwards. The state government had previously taken a similar decision for Mumbai and Thane Metropolitan region.
Ramdas Jagtap, PMRDA deputy collector said, “There is provision in the law that authority can charge double development charges for vital transport and other infrastructure projects. Hence, the PMRDA, had proposed additional development charged from July 2018 to April 2023. These charges are now waived off and will help the residents as they do not have to pay charges of the last five years. As instructed by the CM, we will look into the possibility of additional development charges based on locality, like urbanised areas adjacent to corporation limits and less in distant areas.”
In the PMRDA budget, additional approval was given to transfer two-and-a-half acres of land in Moshi, Pune to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj memorial. The meeting also approved the Pune Ring Road Project, the development fund for 11 and 23 villages within Pune Municipal Authority’s jurisdiction, and the implementation of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act 2023 in the PMRDA. A separate meeting is scheduled to submit the PMRDA’s development plan by June 20. Funds were also alloted for operation of Pune Metropolitan Parivahan Mahamandal limited (PMPML) buses. The proposal of the 2.5 km last mile connectivity skyway for connecting various IT companies to the Metro station has also been approved.
Civic activist Sudhar Kulkarni criticised the budget saying PMRDA has not developed any roads or other infrastructure projects since its formation. “They are using the budget only for renovation of their offices and spending on salaries of officials. Residents are not getting any basic amenities such as roads, water, drainage systems, street lights, garbage collection and processing units. The decision to waive off additional development charges is also not going to help citizens. It is beneficial for builders and developers,” he said.
The 10th PMRDA authority meeting took place at Sahyadri guest house in Mumbai. Pune Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil participated through the videoconferencing. Health Minister Dr Tanaji Sawant, Chief Secretary Manoj Saunik, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Nitin Karir, PMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Rahul Mahiwal, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh, and other officials were present in the meeting.
