PUNE: On Wednesday, the state government designated the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) as the planning authority for the 23 areas merged into its limits in 2021. This significant decision aims to transform the city’s development dynamics.
Since the merger, residents in these areas have been in a complicated situation, with daily planning decisions resting with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). This dual-authority scenario meant that while PMC provided water and civic services, PMRDA was in charge of issuing building permits.
As a result, developers, residents, and officials often faced confusion due to overlapping regulations, ambiguous permissions, and enforcement delays.
However, the state urban development department clarified the situation on Wednesday by officially withdrawing PMRDA’s role as the special planning authority for these 23 areas. Moving forward, PMC will be the exclusive planning body, tasked with creating a new development plan, approving building permits, planning road infrastructure, and overseeing civic improvements in these newly included regions.
This decision came after persistent advocacy by elected officials and civic leaders, who urged the government to resolve the administrative confusion since 2021. Last September, PMC formally requested the state to transfer control over the merged areas from PMRDA. Activists, including former corporator Ujjwal Keskar, even sought judicial intervention for clarity and accountability.
The pivotal moment occurred when the state annulled PMRDA’s old development plan for these areas. Wednesday’s notification finalized the transition.
Madhuri Misal, the state’s urban development minister and MLA from Parvati, expressed support for the announcement. “This decision will ensure organized development in the merged areas. The government is committed to their comprehensive development,” Misal stated, noting her consistent efforts to expedite the decision.
The change could significantly benefit residents in these areas. Officials indicated that PMC would soon acquire all documents related to previous building permits, including its share of revenue generated by PMRDA from those approvals. “This empowers PMC to fully oversee the area—approving new plans, regulating construction, and advancing long-postponed infrastructure projects,” an official shared.
Former corporator Keskar, who lobbied for this shift, emphasized that PMC would finally gain the authority it needed. “Though PMC has been providing civic services, it lacked the power to counter illegal constructions or disorganized development. Now, it can create development plans and execute projects effectively,” he remarked.
A few months prior to municipal elections, then-deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar instructed the authorities to finalize the process of appointing PMC as the planning authority.
In the upcoming days, PMC expects formal directives about the transition. “Next steps will involve transferring documents relating to building permissions and planning to PMC. PMRDA is also required to pass on PMC’s share of revenue from building permits granted in merged areas, with PMC working out the specifics in the following days,” noted another official from PMC.
