PMC seeks Rs9,000 cr from state govt for development of new 23 merged villages

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has officially sought Rs9,000 crore financial assistance from the state government for the development of the new 23 villages merged within the civic limits

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has officially sought Rs9,000 crore financial assistance from the state government for the development of the new 23 villages merged within the civic limits.

A view of Vadachiwadi village to be merged with PMC. (HT)

The civic administration will require the funds for the development of water supply network, sewage lines, streetlights, road development, hospitals, gardens and creating other civic amenities in these areas.

PMC city engineer Prashant Waghmare said, “We have demanded the state government to give additional funds for the development of the merged areas. Even during the meeting with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the PMC administration had put forth the facts and demanded state’s help post merger of these villages.”

The civic administration has carried out surveys of the merged areas by various departments and tabled the work that needs to be carried out in these villages. As the merged areas are scattered, PMC would need to spend more on infrastructure creation, according to the civic body authorities.

Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “The merger plan was initiated in 1995, but the Congress and the NCP opposed it at that time. If these villages were merged at that time, the areas would have been developed. Now, its our responsibility to create amenities in these areas. When the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis took the decision to merge 11 villages in 2017, PMC demanded help from the state government. Now, we are making the same demand to provide Rs10,000 crore for development of these areas.”

PMC standing committee chairman Hemant Rasne said, “PMC budget is Rs8,370 crore. Revenue has dipped because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation. Hence, it is difficult to create infrastructure in the existing areas and elected members are demanding financial assistance under development funds. Besides, the municipal commissioner is seeking cuts in development projects to meet the civic needs. Hence, under these financial constraints, it is the responsibility of the state government to provide funds to the civic body. Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) should also release the funds that it collected from these villages to the municipal corporation.”

One of the officials said on anonymity, “Major issues faced by merged villages is rampant development and illegal constructions. Many roads are narrow. PMC would need to give priority for road widening and check on illegal constructions. The civic body would need to reserve lands first for creating public amenities like roads, gardens, schools and hospitals as there is open space available in these areas.”