Pune: Mohammadwadi-NIBM Annexe Residents Oppose Ward 41 Merger With Undri
Pune Municipal Commissioner Orders Immediate Action To Ease Congestion On 32 Key Pune Roads
Pune, September 2, 2025: Residents of Mohammadwadi-NIBM Annexe have voiced strong opposition to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) proposed restructuring of Ward 41, which would merge their locality with Undri. Calling the move arbitrary and illogical, citizens have alleged that it is a deliberate attempt to weaken civic accountability and termed it a “betrayal of public trust.”
Locals argue that Mohammadwadi-NIBM Annexe is geographically and functionally aligned with Salunkhe Vihar or Kausarbaug wards rather than Undri, which continues to lack a sanctioned Development Plan (DP). They claim that the merger will lead to dilution of resources, disempowerment of active residents, and worsening of civic issues such as poor water supply, lack of CCTV surveillance, and shrinking green spaces.
Activist Jaymala Dhankikar stated, “People in Mohammadwadi-NIBM Annexe have paid taxes for years without receiving basic amenities. Water supply is a daily struggle, green cover is disappearing, and public lands are being leased under PPP models without accountability. Instead of solving these problems, merging us with Undri—an area without a development plan—further undermines governance.”
Supporting this view, social activist Ashok Mehendale said, “This is not urban planning but planned dilution. Redrawing boundaries without consulting residents only hides problems instead of solving them.”
Residents have filed formal objections with PMC, demanding that Ward 41 boundaries be revised using updated population data and ensuring equitable allocation of resources. They allege that vested interests are influencing the restructuring to mask years of civic neglect.
Community groups are now mobilising through housing societies and welfare associations, stressing that the merger with Undri is not a step towards development but a calculated attempt to delay it further.
