Pimpri-Chinchwad Citizens Launch Manifesto Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Highlight Key Issues

The Manifesto is a citizen-centric document encompassing 14 areas of focus.

2 May 2024

By Khushi Maheshwari 

Essentially Pune is bifurcated into two broad municipalities — The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). While the PMC has existed since 1950, the PCMC came into being 3 decades later in 1982 after the Pimpri and Chinchwad townships were merged with surrounding areas to create a new municipal corporation. Much of the residential area in Pune city comes under Pimpri Chinchwad. 

This subsection of the city also has a very active citizens’ forum, known as the PCCF or Pimpri Chinchwad Citizen’s Forum. The PCCF in collaboration with a number of active NGOs in Pimpri Chinchwad curated a Citizens’ Manifesto to put forward their expectations and demands ahead of polling for the 18th Lok Sabha elections for the candidates contesting from Maval and Shirur Lok Sabha constituencies. 

The first ever Citizen Manifesto was released by the PCCF in 2014 for the Lok Sabha elections, though it did not receive a fruitful response. Since then the PCCF has been putting out manifestos for every subsequent Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and Municipal elections, and has received good response from the political parties’ ends. As a matter of fact, in 2017 the Manifesto draft for the municipal elections was accepted by the then party in power — BJP. 

The Manifesto is curated by a special panel within the PCCF consisting of experts, in collaboration with several NGOs and citizens’ groups. The first draft is reworked after receiving feedback from people on social media platforms and is formally released in a press conference, held after thorough examination of the document. Finally, appeals are made to the contesting candidates to adopt the manifesto and once the elections are over tabs are kept over the execution of the manifesto plans. 

This year’s Manifesto covers a wide range of subjects. In total it has 14 broad categories  namely: 

1. Citizen Rights & Laws

2. Citizen Participatory Governance 

3. Health & Hygiene 

4. Education & Skills 

5. Environment & Energy

6. Water Management 

7. Smart Policing & Justice 

8. Information Communication Technology 

9. Traffic & Mobility 

10. Urban Planning & Designing 

11. Industry Economic Development 

12. Arts & Culture 

13. Food & Tourism 

14. Sports & Fitness 

Quite a few important changes have been suggested by the manifesto such as desegregation of the two Lok Sabha constituencies in the city — Maval and Shirur — and merging all areas under one big Lok Sabha constituency ‘Pimpri Chinchwad’ for more efficient governance. 

The green thumbed citizens have also pushed for the rejuvenation of rivers that technically do not lie within the jurisdiction of the constituency like the Pavana river due to the significance of the matter. Along with Pavana, the manifesto also pushes for the rejuvenation of Mula and Indrayani rivers. 

The manifesto is a vividly descriptive and elaborate document which incorporates well-thought out demands and expectations. In case a person wishes to contribute to the declaration they can reach out to the Citizens’ forum via:

1. Email: email your suggestions to [email protected] (Please mention ‘Citizen Manifesto 2024’ in the subject line);
2. Phone: by sending a message on WhatsApp to Tushar at 9767108686 or Amol at 8796434432