Curation Team
PUNE: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed the urban development department to fast-track the clearance of the Maan-Mhalunge town planning scheme in Hinjewadi during a recent review meeting on civic and infrastructure issues in the area, senior officials of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority said on Monday.
“The CM specifically told department officials to look into the delay and ensure the proposal is processed without further hold-ups,” a senior PMRDA official, who attended the CM’s meeting last week, said.
The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has received technical approval for four of six proposed town planning schemes from the urban development department (UDD), but govt notifications are still pending. The Maan-Mhalunge scheme, launched in 2018, is still under review, while the Manjari Khurd-Kolwadi proposal was rejected due to plot demarcation issues and needs to be resubmitted. “We hope the remaining hurdles will be cleared soon for the Maan-Mhalunge scheme,” the official said.
“The Maan-Mhalunge scheme was earlier cleared, but revisions were required after plots were found marked along flood lines. The approved TP schemes, Autade Handewadi, Holkarwadi (two separate schemes), and Vadachiwadi, await final notification from state govt,” a source within UDD said.
The prolonged delay, attributed partly to last year’s Lok Sabha and assembly elections, has stalled development in the Pune Metropolitan Region. “We are unaware why the proposals have been stuck, especially since these are growth centres. They should have been fast-tracked,” another PMRDA official said.
Earlier this year, PMRDA gave an in-principle approval to 15 additional TP schemes. The current schemes are being developed on the Gujarat model, where landowners receive 50% of developed land within the same area. Each of the five approved schemes was also expected to receive Rs 25 crore in central infrastructure support. PMRDA committed Rs 125 crore from its own funds for these projects.
The delays have caused concern among landowners. Mohit Mehta, a Manjari resident whose plot was earmarked for development, said, “If the proposal requires resubmission, there will be no project coming up on our land this year.”
PMRDA officials said further delays in issuing govt clearance could push back the allocation of central funds. The schemes are integral to the draft development plan approved early last year, aimed at enabling structured growth across 5,000 hectares along the proposed 82-km ring road.
