Pune: Vadgaon Sheri MLA Bapusaheb Pathare Flags Major Flaws In Development Plan Of Lohgaon and 11 Other Villages Merged in 2017
Pune: Vadgaon Sheri MLA Bapusaheb Pathare Flags Major Flaws In Development Plan Of Lohgaon and 11 Other Villages Merged in 2017
Nagpur: On the fifth day of the Winter Session, Vadgaonsheri MLA Bapusaheb Pathare strongly raised concerns over serious discrepancies in the development plan for Lohgaon and 11 other villages merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2017. Through a Calling Attention Motion, he highlighted the practical difficulties faced by residents and urged a complete review of the draft development plan.
Pathare pointed out that major roads have been proposed directly through residential properties in Lohgaon. Despite having a 300-metre stretch of vacant land available, the plan shows a 36-metre-wide road cutting through densely populated areas such as Mohzenagar, Sathe Wasti, Pathare Wasti, Ganesh Park, Kalbhor Wasti, Pawar Wasti, Nirmitee Park, Blue Sky, Defence Colony, Green Park, Survey No. 95 and adjoining areas.
He further noted that the proposed 36-metre road connecting to the Pune–Ahilyanagar Highway near the Kharadi toll point—barely 200 metres from the junction—would create two major intersections, potentially worsening traffic congestion.
Raising additional concerns, Pathare said that in Survey No. 134 and Porwal Road (Survey No. 296), areas where people are actually residing have been marked as commercial and green zones. He also questioned the increased burden of reservations on small landholding farmers, instances of multiple reservations on the same property, non-compensation for affected landowners, and the possibility that large builders’ plots had been kept free from reservations. He criticised the planning process for being based solely on office maps without ground verification.
Responding to the issues, Minister Uday Samant assured the House that all objections and suggestions received on the draft development plan would be heard as per rules. Citizens will be given an opportunity for direct hearings before the Planning Committee, and the final plan will incorporate necessary corrections. He reiterated that no citizen’s home or small farmer’s land would be unfairly affected, and proposed road alignments would be revised based on actual site conditions.
Samant added that the Town Planning Department will conduct a detailed technical scrutiny of the draft plan. The government has indicated that it will act seriously on the points raised by MLA Pathare. The upcoming steps will be crucial in correcting flaws in the development plan and ensuring citizen-friendly, fair planning for the merged villages.
