While an official notification detailing the merger plan has not yet been issued, citizens and urban planning experts suggested that civic administration take an advantage by establishing holistic planning for the development of infrastructure and basic services in these areas, as well as to stop illegal constructions and usurpations.
The Nationalist Congress Party has a control on the outskirts of the city and has been pushing for the merger in time for the 2022 municipal elections.
The original proposal involved the merger of 34 villages into Pune Municipal Corporation limits. Eleven towns merged in 2017.
Hadapsar MLA Chetan Tupe from the NCP confirmed to TOI that the covers have been cleared to merge the remainder in the next month. Tupe said the merger would ensure planned development on the city’s peripheries. “Minister of urban development of the state Eknath shinde has approved the proposed merger. The residents of these outlying villages want better services and basic public amenities, ”said Tupe.
However, experts have questioned the need for the merger, as the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority was already in place to manage the outlying areas.
“The merger will only increase the burden on PMC, which is already struggling to manage the existing area and population with limited resources and manpower. In addition, PMC will have to find funds for the development of basic services in the newly merged areas, ”said urban planning expert Ramchandra Gohad.
He said it was imperative that the authorities begin planning and executing urban planning plans in these towns with a focus on water, drainage and public spaces. At the moment, these 23 villages are experiencing haphazard development, Gohad said.
“There are illegal constructions everywhere and open spaces are invaded due to a lack of surveillance and strict regulations. The PT schemes would help the civic body to stop such activities, ”he said.
Anita Gokhale Benninger, senior urban planner, opposed the merger and said separately, smallest municipal corporation it should have been created to serve these peoples. “A decentralized system of urban planning and municipal administration is the way to go. Villages that will soon merge are likely to receive secondary treatment, ”he said.
A PMC source said a proposal for the formation of another municipal corporation was being considered.
Rajendra Raut, a senior civic official, said: “Once the notification is issued, PMC will draw up a development plan for these villages. [on the same lines as the 11 other villages] and then start the property appraisal process. ”
Shrirang Chavan of Haveli Taluka Nagari Kriti Samiti, a group of citizens, said the merger should be completed as soon as possible. “The arrangement and delimitation of the districts must be carried out before the municipal elections of 2022, which would be possible only after the merger,” he said.
In 2014, the group had filed a petition in the Bombay High Court requesting the merger. In 2017, the 11 villages were merged. Nine villages were partially merged, while two villages, Uruli and Phursungi, were fully merged. The population in the municipal limits of Pune had increased by 2 lakh. Two corporations were chosen from these areas in 2018. After the new merger, the population could increase by 6 lakh. Six more companies are expected to be added to PMC’s current force of 163.
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