Decision on Uruli Devachi and Phursungi villages will be issued within legal framework: Assures state govt to Bombay HC
By: Pune Pulse
August 22, 2023
Pune: On Monday, the Bombay High Court was informed by the Maharashtra government that the villages Fursungi and Uruli Devachi have not been excluded from the limits of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and no final notification regarding this matter has been issued yet. The advocate general further assured the court that the final notification will be issued within the confines of the legal framework.
Earlier in March 2023, the state government’s decision to exclude Fursungi and Uruli Devachi from the PMC limits faced opposition from Ranjit Raskar and others who filed petitions in the Bombay High Court. The hearing for these petitions took place before Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Arif Doctor.
As the term of the civic body had ended in February 2022, the civic chief had been appointed as the administrator, and the decision to exclude the villages was made in consultation with the administrator. However, according to the law, the state government cannot make such a decision without consulting the General Body of the PMC. The petitioners’ lawyers, Advocate Pralhad Paranjpe and Advocate Manish Kelkar argued that the consultation with the administrator cannot be deemed as legal.
Nevertheless, the Advocate General, Birendra Saraf, informed the bench that the state government had not issued a final notification yet. He explained that as per Section 452 (A) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, the administrator has the authority to make all decisions about the municipal corporation. The final notification is yet to be issued, and the state government will follow all legal formalities and allow the petitioners to present their views, if necessary, Saraf stated. Following Saraf’s statement, the bench dismissed the plea and instructed the petitioners to submit a memorandum to the PMC within 10 days.
