Monday Musings: Shortage of funds does not bode well for Pune Camp

The acute shortage of funds faced by the Pune Cantonment Board, arising out of pending dues of ₹150 crore from the state government, is a genuine concern. Will this lead to further degeneration of the Cantonment area?

On Friday, September 7, Pune Cantonment Board’s (PCB) president Major General Navneet Kumar, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), south Maharashtra and Goa sub-area, addressed a press conference and said that the PCB was going through a financial crisis which had taken a heavy toll on development projects.

Shivaji market in Camp has seen little upkeep or maintenance. (HT Photo)

According to him, the PCB’s share of ₹150 crore by way of GST (Goods and Services Tax) was due from the state government and in the absence of these funds, due since July 2017, development projects had been hit in Camp.

At the press conference, PCB’s chief executive officer (CEO) Amit Kumar expressed regret that neither the state government nor the central government were paying serious attention to the PCB-GST issue.

Cantonment Board officials said that a number of projects had gone on the back-burner as a result of the funds shortage. The projects affected include a ₹16 crore commercial complex at Dhobi ghat; construction of staff quarters; construction of multi-level parking facility (₹24 crore); replacement of water supply lines(₹10 crore); beautification of gardens (₹10 crore), among other projects.

The PCB authorities were worried that given the abolition of local body taxes and the continuing delay in allocation of GST dues, the PCB may not have enough reserves for salary payment beyond three months.

These are indeed genuine concerns and certainly, the Cantonment Boards must not be starved of the funds they deserve.

The fact is that almost all of these projects, including dedicated nursing quarters and Class IV quarters for the sanitation staff at Sholapur Bazar area, were envisaged in November, 2017, as components of Smart Cantonment Project (SCP) when the Pune Cantonment Board celebrated its bicentenary.

It is rather disappointing that there was no mention of the need for smart footpaths in the Cantonment area.

As noted in these columns, Camp has a character which is distinct from the rest of Pune, and a history and heritage of two centuries which needs to be preserved for posterity. It cannot be allowed to degenerate into yet another locality of Pune

A beginning can be made by working towards good, encroachment-free ‘smart’ footpaths in Camp, where people, especially senior citizens and children, can walk peacefully as can be seen in Aundh, JM road and now Fergusson College road

MG road and East Street are iconic as are the many heritage structures, churches and buildings with distinctive architecture.

We hope that PCB’s funds crisis is resolved at the earliest and even as that happens, adequate effort is made to provide good footpaths in Camp and protect its distinct identity.

abhay.vaidya@hindustantimes.com