Pune: PMRDA Scraps Draft Development Plan, Dispute Over 23 Villages Remains Unresolved
Pune: PMRDA Scraps Draft Development Plan, Dispute Over 23 Villages Remains Unresolved
Pune, July 16, 2025
The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has officially withdrawn its contentious Draft Development Plan (DP) of August 2021, but the legal tussle over planning jurisdiction for 23 villages merged into Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits continues. The Bombay High Court is set to hear two key petitions on the matter on August 25.
In an affidavit submitted before Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V Marne, PMRDA confirmed that it passed a resolution to formally withdraw the draft DP. This marks a significant development in the prolonged conflict over planning authority in Pune’s rapidly urbanising outskirts.
The draft DP had faced severe backlash, with over 60,000 objections and suggestions from residents and civic organisations. The High Court had stayed the plan in October 2022, citing procedural flaws and planning irregularities. While PMRDA initially indicated plans to revise and reintroduce the DP, its latest affidavit suggests those efforts have been shelved for now.
“With PMRDA’s submission to the High Court, the draft DP now officially stands withdrawn,” said advocate Ritvik Joshi, counsel for former PMC corporator Ujjwal Keskar.
However, the core dispute over whether PMRDA or PMC holds planning authority for the 23 merged villages remains unresolved. “We have challenged the state government’s notification of July 14, 2021, which appointed PMRDA as the Special Planning Authority under Section 40 of the MRTP Act. This directly infringes on PMC’s jurisdiction since these villages are now within municipal limits,” Joshi added.
The petitioners argue that PMRDA’s draft DP illegally included areas now part of Pune city. The High Court’s upcoming hearing is likely to play a crucial role in determining the planning roadmap for the region’s expanding boundaries.
