Green cover under threat,opinion divided

Officials from Urban Development Department said the file had been pending with the state government for years. “The file is with the CM. It has been discussed… but nothing has been finalised yet,” one of them said. The PMRDA would be on the lines of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

Divisional Commissioner Dilip Band,who will retire this month,told Newsline that he too was awaiting the government decision on PMRDA. “It would ensure rapid development as done by the MMRDA. But I have no clue why there is no movement on it.”

Town planner Sadhana Naik said there had been an inordinate delay with the proposal. “This would help in having one body controlling various developmental works. This should have expedited the development. Even the members of the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC),the planning authority for the PMRDA hardly have had any meetings to this effect.”

Earlier,the government was mulling over various financial models for PMRDA,including transfer of government land in the Pune region to the authority. But there has been no progress. MPC members had demanded that MMRDA model be replicated where the state transfers its land in the region to the authority,which in turn exploits it to raise funds and implement infrastructure projects. This too has not seen any movement. The government is also looking forward to getting funds from the Centre under JNNURM for the development authority.

PMRDA’s powers and functions include undertaking preparation and execution of Town Planning schemes with regard to the draft development plan prepared by MPC,carrying out surveys and so on. It will levy or collect scrutiny fees for proposals submitted to it for permission as well as execute water supply works.