Pune Residents’ Rs 500 Crore Investment At Risk Amid Uruli Devachi And Phursungi Municipal Council Formation

Pune Residents' Rs 500 Crore Investment At Risk Amid Uruli Devachi And Phursungi Municipal Council Formation

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The Maharashtra government’s decision to establish a municipal council for Uruli Devachi and Fursungi villages has jeopardized Rs 500 crore of Pune residents’ tax money invested in development projects since 2017. This substantial amount was allocated by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to enhance the region’s infrastructure.

The breakdown of expenses reveals a significant investment. Over Rs 250 crore has been spent in the last five years, while more than Rs 200 crore has been allocated since 2008 to resolve long-standing waste land issues. Additionally, Rs 42 crore was earmarked for sewage management as part of the Rs 392 crore plan for eleven villages.

However, the state government’s notification merging the villages into a single municipal council may render the PMC’s efforts futile. Local residents and activists, including Ujjwal Keskar, Suhas Kulkarni, and Prashant Badhe, strongly oppose the decision and threaten legal action.

“The municipal corporation prepared a Town Planning Scheme, waived betterment charges, and faces Rs 200 crore in property tax arrears,” Keskar noted. Critics argue that excluding these villages disrupts planning for the remaining nine villages, potentially wasting the invested amount.

The PMC had initiated various projects, including a 200 metric ton waste processing project, tree planting, water supply through tankers since 2008, and road works. Now, these initiatives face uncertainty as the controversy surrounds the municipal council formation.

As Pune residents and authorities await clarity on the development projects’ future, the decision’s implications will be closely watched. The fate of the invested amount remains uncertain, sparking concerns about the effectiveness of the municipal council formation.

Sancheti College
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