‘PMC’s road widening plan will benefit realtors more than common man’

PUNE

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) may send a proposal to the State government to consider exempting bungalows from the proposed road widening from six to nine metres, according to an official.

When BJP leaders and civic activists demanded that bungalows keep the existing structure or build new ones without leaving margin space, civic officials from the land acquisition department held a hearing on one of the roads affected by the proposal.

Pratibha Patil, deputy commissioner at the PMC Land Acquisition Department, stated, “We have submitted the suggestions and objections raised during Tuesday’s meeting and the PMC commissioner will take a final call on this.”

Civic activists and leaders from BJP believe that the move would benefit developers more than the common people. To address this, they have suggested that the PMC administration send a proposal to the State government, urging them to consider road widening along with the front margin of plots.

The PMC has identified 335 city roads for widening based on future development plans, utilising Transfer Development Rights (TDR) and Floor Space Index (FSI) for redevelopment. The proposal has faced stiff opposition from areas such as Kothrud, Shivajinagar, Erandwane, Parvati-Sahakarnagar, and Bibvewadi. In total, the PMC has received objections for around 200 roads across the city.

Ujjawal Keskar, former opposition party leader in PMC and senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), expressed concerns during a meeting with the PMC commissioner. He stated that “if the road is widened from six to nine meters, the front margin of plots must be considered, or else it will lead to a reduction in the plot size, making it non-buildable.”

The opposition parties have already lashed out at the proposal saying the road widening decision would ultimately benefit developers rather than common citizens.

During the proposal’s suggestion and objections phase which took place last year, the PMC received the highest number of objections from the old city areas regarding the road widening plan. These objections were brought to light during a hearing conducted by the PMC’s building permission and development department.

The PMC, on its part, argues that there is a lack of open areas for development within the city and that redevelopment is the key to the city’s growth. However, citizens fear that reducing plot sizes, affecting the front side of homes, and potential demolition of existing bungalow parts and trees could negatively impact their living conditions.

One of the senior officials of the building permission and development department said, “If citizens are worried, they should approach the PMC administration and clear their doubts.”

The PMC appealed to citizens living in areas where roads are slated for widening. Out of the 335 identified roads, 255 are from the old city limits, while the remaining 80 are in suburban areas.

Around 1,800 people responded, expressing both favourable and adverse opinions about the road widening plan. Most of the opposition was led by bungalow societies, and the PMC noted that approximately 135 roads received very few or no applications thus far.