Pune News: Bombay High Court directs PMC Commissioner to decide about land acquisition for Baner Pashan Link Road
By Pune Pulse
August 3, 2023
Pune: The Bombay High Court has directed Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Commissioner Vikram Kumar to take a concrete decision on the long pending issue of land acquisition for the Baner Pashan Link Road soon.
As per information, the Baner Pashan Link Road was included in the region’s Development Plan (DP) in 1992. The road measures 1200 meters in length and 36 meters in width. A section of 1000 meters (1 km) was built in 2014, but parts of 150 meters and 50 meters each have remained unfinished since then, rendering the entire road worthless and a waste of public money.
Currently, the Baner and Pashan areas are now linked by a single narrow unsafe route that is only 7 meters wide. It also has no possibility for widening due to pre-existing constructed private homes. Although communication from Baner and Balewadi to Pashan, West and South Pune is mainly reliant on the intended DP route, it remains in an incomplete state even after 30 years.
The population of Baner, Pashan, Balewadi, and Aundh suburbs has increased exponentially in the last 15 years. The inhabitants are enduring great challenges due to inadequate roads. Over 250,000 people of the region, as well as citizens of Pune in general, are affected by the problem. The PMC has made one excuse after another for failing to complete the 200-meter unconstructed patch.
Following is the summary of arguments from the PMC & petitioner’s side:
The PMC has attempted to justify its delay by citing a lack of funding, the landowner’s refusal to hand over the land, and the lack of an elected general body to make decisions. Advocate Satya Muley argued on behalf of the petitioners before the Bombay High Court that the PMC has been making record tax collections for numerous years and that there is no such cash deficit. Furthermore, it was suggested that if the road’s completion is delayed, the cost of acquiring property and building the road will continue to rise year after year.
Observing the contentions, the Bombay High Court, headed by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S. Doctor took cognizance of the difficulties faced by the inhabitants and that the street is lying for all intents and purposes since the year 2014 and on account of this the street isn’t being utilized. The Court additionally observed before correspondences and noticed that in all sincerity, the choice should have been taken by the PMC at this point.
As a result, the Bombay High Court Bench instructed the PMC to make a decision regarding the compulsory acquisition of the land and to present the court with a timeline for the completion of the acquisition process and the construction of the non-constructed stretch of the road. The PMC has been given time till September 20, 2023 to present the plan.
