Pune : Separate municipal council of Uruli Devachi and Fursungi won’t benefit citizens, residents oppose govt’s move
Pune: The decision of the Maharashtra state government to announce Uruli Devachi and Fursungi as separate Municipal Councils has sparked controversy and opposition from residents and political parties alike. Many argue that the move will not benefit citizens and demand that the two villages remain under the Pune Municipal Corporation.
The residents of Fursungi and Uruli Devachi have organised a signature drive where the residents can sign the documents and submit the documents to the Collector Office in the Urban development department.
Sachin Kotwal of the Aam Aadmi Party stated, “If a new Municipal Council is formed, then water issues and tax collection will be affected. Moreover, if these two villages are removed from the Municipal Corporation, it will take time for the new body to start functioning and citizens will not benefit from it. While taxes may be reduced, the land evaluation may go down, which is why we don’t want a separate Municipal Council.”
Residents of Fursungi – Uruli Devachi have been paying taxes to the Pune Municipal Corporation for the past four to five years but have not received adequate facilities in return. They believe that a separate municipal council will not solve their problems and have never demanded one. The government’s decision is confusing, and residents feel that they were included in the Pune Municipal Corporation only to accommodate the garbage depot site.
The two villages’ exclusion from the Municipal Corporation raises questions about waste disposal, as the new council will have to find a place to dump waste from their area. The government’s decision does not address this issue, and there is no space available in the area for such a facility. The decision also lacks information on the newly formed municipal council’s income sources and whether a survey was conducted to gauge citizens’ views on the matter.
Moreover, the decision does not account for the severe water shortage in the area, and no independent water supply system planning is included in the government’s decision. It appears that the government’s decision was politically motivated rather than development-oriented, and citizens were not consulted before the decision was made.
The residents of Fursungi (Phursungi) – Uruli Devachi are calling on the government to keep them in the Pune Municipal Corporation and address their concerns. The decision to form a separate municipal council for only two villages that do not meet the criteria for an urban area to be recognized as a municipal council does not seem well-thought-out and will only cause problems for citizens in the future.
Aam Aadmi Party, Fursungi has started a campaign where they are urging people who are opposing the move of the state government to register their say between April 22 and 28. The initiative has been organised by Sachin Kotwal, Ashok Harpale, Asmita Mandhare. Citizens can contact on 8055261112
