Pune News: PCMC Drops Chikhali-Kudalwadi Town Planning Scheme Amid Public Outcry
Pune News: PCMC Drops Chikhali-Kudalwadi Town Planning Scheme Amid Public Outcry
The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has officially scrapped its proposed Town Planning (TP) scheme for Chikhali and Kudalwadi following strong opposition from local residents and political leaders. The decision was confirmed during the civic body’s general body meeting held on Wednesday.
Prasad Gaikwad, Deputy Director of PCMC’s Town Planning Department, stated that while the Chikhali scheme has been cancelled, five other proposed TP schemes in Charholi will proceed as planned. “Due to significant resistance from residents in Chikhali, the civic body has decided to withdraw the plan. Development in these areas will now follow the existing Development Plan (DP),” he said.
Last month, PCMC had issued a public notice announcing six TP schemes—one covering 380 hectares in Chikhali and five covering 1,425 hectares in Charholi. The notice sparked widespread protests from locals who claimed the new scheme would lead to further land acquisition, despite many already having lost land to previous projects by MIDC and PCNTDA.
A senior PCMC official clarified that a TP scheme is essentially a consensual project and cannot be carried out without the approval of landowners. Given the opposition, the civic body has now decided to abandon the TP scheme in Chikhali and Kudalwadi altogether.
The TP plan had also included Kudalwadi, where earlier this year, PCMC conducted a large-scale demolition drive, razing over 4,000 industrial units and scrap shops. While PCMC maintained the TP scheme was intended to enable planned development, residents believed the demolitions were carried out to clear land for the TP implementation.
Bhosari MLA and BJP leader Mahesh Landge, who also opposed the TP scheme, had recently met with the municipal commissioner to voice public concerns. Welcoming the cancellation, Landge urged similar action for Charholi. “The city is set to receive a revised Development Plan in the next three months. Hence, there’s no need for a TP scheme in Charholi,” he said.
