Fadnavis backs wada redevelopment in Pune, policy changes on cards
Several wadas, primarily located in the peth areas within the Kasba Peth assembly constituency, have been in a dilapidated state for years
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has given the green signal for the redevelopment of old wadas in central Pune, similar to projects undertaken in Mumbai and Thane.
Ganesh Rasne, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said, “I met CM Fadnavis on Thursday regarding the issue and urged him to introduce policy changes for wada redevelopment, similar to what was done for old buildings in Mumbai and Thane. I also proposed forming a special committee for Pune.”
According to Rasne, Fadnavis responded positively and directed the administration to explore necessary steps for implementation.
Several wadas, primarily located in the peth areas within the Kasba Peth assembly constituency, have been in a dilapidated state for years. Owners have been unable to redevelop them due to restrictive government policies, lack of incentives, and structural challenges.
The cluster development concept, introduced years ago under Pune’s Development Plan (DP) and later included in the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) in 2021, has failed to take off. Not a single proposal for wada redevelopment has been approved under the scheme in Pune.
Salil Bapat, a local resident, said, “Many residents have left from here (wada) but not vacated their homes as they are tenants. While developing a wada, tenant and owner issues are critical as they have long lease.”
Another citizen Narendra Shah said, “Our home is more than 100 years old, and we want to redevelop it. We will have to keep margins at three sides and the remaining space for use will be much less.”
A new policy, the Urban Renewal Scheme (URS), was incorporated into UDCPR, modelled after PMC’s wada cluster development plan. However, residents and civic officials had previously held a position that it has not addressed the long-standing redevelopment issues. URS mandates a minimum of 10,000 sqm for redevelopment in non-congested areas and 4,000 sqm in congested areas, making it impractical for densely packed wadas.
Many wada residents continue to live in hazardous conditions, with little effort from either the state government or PMC to actively promote the policy. The cluster development scheme, which promised incentives such as additional Floor Space Index (FSI), margin relaxations, and a special Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), also remains stalled due to a lack of approvals.
The narrow roads and the requirement to maintain front and side margins make redevelopment unviable. While PMC proposed cluster redevelopment, wada owners have struggled to come together, further delaying progress.
The success of the project will depend on how effectively policy hurdles are addressed, said officials.
