Pune’s Mhalunge-Maan town planning scheme gathers dust two years after groundbreaking

The former BJP Devendra Fadnavis led Maharashtra government announced to develop Mhalunge-Maan as a high-tech city in the vicinity of Hinjewadi IT park under Pune’s first town planning scheme in five decades, however more than two years later the work has only remained on cards.

The announcement offered hope for planned development of many other areas. The Pune metropolitan region development authority’s (PMRDA), which is to develop the city said it plans to replicate similar town planning schemes at 40 other places.

More than two years later, the work on Pune’s first high-tech city is only on cards except the foundation stone laying, which Fadnavis carried out on November 15, 2018.

PMRDA had announced that the town planning scheme is being planned on 250 hectares by spending ₹640 crore and will be complete in the next three years. It was also said that the scheme would attract ₹21,300 crore investments. However, the delay in completing the land acquisition has stalled the project.

PMRDA chief executive officer and metropolitan commissioner Suhas Divase said, “The land acquisition work for the town planning scheme is in progress. During Covid-19 pandemic, the work slowed down but now we would ensure that it would be sped up. Even the other planned townships are in the pipeline.”

As per the plan, PMRDA was to borrow ₹600 crore loan from Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) to develop basic infrastructure like roads and other facilities, before allowing private plot owners to develop their plots. The scheme will be implemented on 700 acres divided into nine sectors with plans for roads, water, drainage, school and garden.

Divase said, “The land acquisition work is being carried out by another department and we are hoping that it will get completed early.”

Former chief minister Fadnavis took interest in the scheme and ring road project to make Pune city as a growth engine for Maharashtra.

Fadnavis had promised that Mhalunge Maan would be a world class city but almost after two-years since the ground breaking ceremony no progress is seen on the project.

In this scheme, PMRDA will get 70 acres for free while the approach road to Hinjewadi IT park is getting constructed without carrying out any land acquisition.

Planning schemes

A total of 46 town planning schemes were planned around the proposed 128 kilometre Ring Road project but all schemes are lying idle. On the lines of Ahmedabad city, the PMRDA planned to develop 46 town planning schemes around the Ring road. The town planning schemes and the Ring road will be developed simultaneously and are part of the same project. The schemes are part of the Ring road project and it will help authorities acquire land for the project at minimal cost.

Proposal by PMC

After PMRDA, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) also proposed to build three town planning schemes at Fursungi and Uruli Devachi but they are gathering dust too and no progress has been made on the town planning schemes