E-Paper
Final decision on Uruli Devachi and Phursungi will be issued within legal framework: State govt to Bombay HC
In March this year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced to form a separate municipal council for these villages
The state government informed the Bombay HC on Monday that the villages of Uruli Devachi and Phursungi have not yet been excluded from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits and the final notification about this has not been issued. The advocate general also assured the court that the final notification will be issued within the legal framework.
Pune-based activists Ujwal Keskar, Suhas Joshi and Prashant Badhe had challenged the decision of the state government to exclude Uruli Devachi and Phursungi from PMC limits and form a separate municipal council. The hearing on these petitions was held in front of the bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Arif Doctor.
After state government’s assurance, the bench disposed of the plea and instructed the petitioners to submit a memorandum to the PMC in 10 days.
Keskar said, “As the state government assured to follow all legal process, and listen to the petitioners before publishing the final notification, the court dismissed the case. Now, as instructed by the Bombay HC, we will put forth our opinions to the state government within ten days.”
According to Keskar and other activists, the decision to exclude Uruli Devachi and Phursungi is not in the best interest of the public and is done for political gain.
In March this year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced to form a separate municipal council for these villages. Uruli Devachi and Phursungi were among the 11 villages merged with the PMC in 2017. Together, they have a population of about two to two-and-a-half lakhs. Some political leaders, including the then minister of state Vijay Shivthare, took the lead in demanding a separate municipal council for these villages. As Shivthare is part of the chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, his demand was accepted.
