Updated: December 24, 2020 1:10:20 am
In its draft notification, the government said the PMC boundaries were altered by the state under the powers conferred under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act. (Photo Express)
With the Maharashtra government issuing a draft notice on the merger of 23 villages with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday, Pune has become the largest city in the state, in terms of the geographical area under its civic body.
“The total area of PMC would be around 485 square kilometers now, while the area under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, or BMC, is around 440 square kilometers…” said a civic official.
In its draft notification, the government said the PMC limits were altered by the state under the powers conferred under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act. The government said that before issuing the notice, it considered the objections and suggestions received by the Pune Divisional Commissioner.
The state government had first declared its intention to include 34 villages in the Pune city limits in 2014, but the process was delayed and only 11 villages were merged in the civic limits after intervention by the Bombay High Court. In response to the request from villagers seeking the merger, the state government had said it would be done in phases and would be completed by 2020.
The ruling BJP at PMC has also said that the merger should be carried out in phases to ensure proper development of the new areas. The head of the city’s BJP unit, Jagdish Mulik, has even alleged that the state government approved the merger of 23 villages with a view to civic polls in 2022.
Mayor Murlidhar Mohol had pointed out that the inclusion of 23 villages would put pressure on the civic administration in managing the many civic problems of the new areas. “The PMC’s estimated requirement of Rs 9 billion for the development of basic civic facilities in these areas should be included. We are not against the inclusion of peoples, but this must be done in phases ”, he had said.
However, the head of the city’s PCN, Chetan Tupe, welcomed the decision of the state government and said that this measure would curb fortuitous development in villages located near the city’s border. “Development works must be carried out in a planned manner and this will be possible only when these areas become part of the PMC,” he said.
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