‘Against interest of citizens’: BJP MLCs find faults in PCMC’s draft development plan, demand its scrapping

The demand came during the Attention Motion moved by Gorkhe in the State Legislative Council on Wednesday.

“The draft Development Plan of the PCMC is a well-planned conspiracy against the people of Pimpri-Chinchwad. It seems like the DP has been prepared to favour of the builders’ lobby,” said Gorkhe who demanded a probe against the officials and consultants who prepared the draft DP.

Gorkhe said the DP should not have been prepared when an elected body is present and there is scope for discussions. ”There are several deficiencies in the preparation of the draft DP. For instance, there is a vast difference between the floodline marked in the DP and the floodline marked by the irrigation department vis-a-vis marking of reservation. It is shocking that a slaughterhouse has been marked near the temple town of Alandi. In buildings which have been permitted by PCMC, parking reservation has been made…In one km area, four police stations have been reserved. Near Dr Ambedkar statue in Pimpri, the land has been reserved for Ramabai Ambedkar but reservation has been made for police station. Green hills have been reserved for construction purpose,” he said.

Gorkhe said the DP, which was prepared in 1997, has not been fully implemented yet. ”Only 50 per cent of the DP has been implemented. Yet a new DP was prepared,” he said, adding that the DP was in English, which the common man can’t understand.

The BJP MLC added that the draft DP has been prepared without taking the former mayors and former corporators or other people’s representatives into confidence.

”What is shocking is that the green zone reservations have been converted into residential zones. This is detrimental from the environment point of view,” he said.

Gorkhe also alleged that plots owned by builders have been kept out of the purview of reservations. ”The land and homes belonging to the poor and middle-class have been earmarked for reservation,” he said demanding the state government to immediately scrap the draft DP.

Uma Khapre alleged that it seems the draft DP has been prepared without application of any mind. ”Over 5,000 citizens in Thergaon last week held a protest as the ring road is passing through their residential area,” she said.

Khapre said in Pimpri assembly segment, reservation has been made for  a burial ground near a school and residential societies. “The PCMC has received over 30,000 objections to the draft DP, indicating that citizens are not happy with what has been prepared,” she said.

Congress MLC Satej Patil however said the draft DP should not be scrapped. ”Instead, all the objections raised in the DP should be addressed and then it should be approved by the government,” he said.

”Pimpri-Chinchwad has lot of floating population. At least 20 lakh people come here for the purpose of employment. Pimpri-Chinchwad has been a well-planned city, therefore we should not scrap the draft city, keeping the floating population in mind.”

Patil said provisions should also be made for power sub-stations, EV charging stations and petrol pumps in the draft DP. ”We witness huge lines at petrol pumps which spill onto the roads…We should make proper reservation for petrol pumps and CNG pumps..Similarly, EV charging stations have become compulsory in civic DPs,” he said.

Patil said the number of gig workers was also increasing. ”The draft DP should also allocate space for sheds and reserve parking space for gig workers,” he said.

Responding to the demand from the MLCs, Minister of State Madhuri Misal said, ”It is the responsibility of the government to approve a DP. I assure the House no injustice will be done to any citizen…If required, the Chief Minister will cancel the DP.”