With concerns mounting over the impact of proposed changes to the development plan (DP) of nine of the villages merged with Pune, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will write to the state government next week, urging it to restore the original road widths; officials said on Friday.
The civic administration fears that reducing road space now could make it difficult to handle future traffic movement in these rapidly developing areas. The city is already reeling under traffic congestion and chaos; officials said.
The move comes after the state town planning department proposed 143 modifications to the draft DP following suggestions and objections from citizens. Of these, 84 changes reportedly involve reduction in road widths. The PMC has started reviewing the modifications, including their locations and the extent of the changes, before making its submission to the state government.
“The assistant director of town planning has examined the suggestions and objections received from citizens and made changes accordingly. The department has completed its work. However, considering the future traffic requirements, it will be difficult to manage vehicle movement if road widths are reduced. We will write to the state government next week, requesting it to restore the original road widths,” said a senior PMC official on request of anonymity.
The civic body is currently compiling details of the changes, including the locations affected and the percentage by which road widths have been reduced. It wants the original road reservations to be reinstated before the revised DP is approved by the state government.
{{/usCountry}}The civic body is currently compiling details of the changes, including the locations affected and the percentage by which road widths have been reduced. It wants the original road reservations to be reinstated before the revised DP is approved by the state government.
{{/usCountry}}The issue gained political traction after leader of the opposition in the PMC, Nilesh Nikam, wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, November 13, seeking the latter’s intervention. Nikam said 84 of the 143 proposed modifications were related to reducing road width and warned that this could worsen Pune’s already serious traffic congestion. “Reducing the width of roads in these villages will be the beginning of major inconvenience in the future,” Nikam said in his letter. He pointed out that Pune is already facing severe traffic congestion and argued that the city needs to plan its road network keeping future population growth and vehicle numbers in mind. Citing the city’s growing population and its fourth position nationally in four-wheeler and two-wheeler sales, he said reducing road widths would be counterproductive.
Nikam also highlighted the gap between the recommended road reservation and the land currently available for roads in the city. While 15% of the total area should be reserved for roads during development planning, only 9% of the land within PMC limits is currently available for this purpose; he said. According to civic officials, the aforementioned nine villages were merged with Pune in 2017. The civic body initially undertook the exercise to prepare its development plan but failed to complete it within the stipulated deadline. Following this, the state government subsequently took over the process. A committee constituted by the state government in 2024 published a preliminary draft in 2025. Citizens submitted suggestions and objections, followed by hearings earlier this year. The town planning authority then proposed changes to the draft. The modifications cover road widths and alignments, reservations for public amenities and provisions for facilities such as a garbage depot and truck terminus. Lohegaon has the highest number of proposed changes at 31, followed by Dhayari with 20, Undri with 19, and Ambegaon Budruk with 17; said officials.