PMC, not PMRDA be given ‘planning authority’ status for merged villages: Siddarth Shirole

Addressing the demand, chief minister Eknath Shinde said that the state government would think positively about the same

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of legislative assembly (MLA), Siddharth Shirole, on Thursday demanded that the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) be stripped of its ‘planning authority’ status with regard to the 34 villages merged with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the same be conferred on the corporation instead.

Just recently, it was decided at a meeting between PMRDA and PMC officials that the PMRDA will share 75% of the development charges from the merged villages with the PMC. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Shirole raised the issue in the assembly and said, “The state government merged 34 villages with the PMC in different phases. Although these villages were merged within the municipal limits, the state government asked the PMRDA to prepare the development plan (DP) for them. Naturally ‘planning authority’ status for the merged areas went to the PMRDA. The PMRDA was empowered to approve building permission plans and collect development charges as well.”

“The PMRDA is getting income from the merged areas in the form of development charges but it is not spending anything on them. Whereas the PMC has to spend its money on developing and providing civic amenities such as water, drainage, street lights, garbage collection etc.,” Shirole said.

Against this backdrop, Shirole demanded that the PMRDA be immediately stripped of its ‘planning authority’ status with regard to the merged villages and the same be accorded to the PMC instead. Addressing the demand, chief minister Eknath Shinde said that the state government would think positively about the same.

Just recently, it was decided at a meeting between PMRDA and PMC officials that the PMRDA will share 75% of the development charges from the merged villages with the PMC.