PMC limits reduced as Fursungi and Uruli Devachi detached from Pune civic body

“The entire area of Fursungi village excluding the waste depot area and the entire area of Uruli Devachi village excluding the waste depot is being removed from the limits of PMC,” said urban development department deputy secretary Priyanka Kulkarni-Chhapwale in the notification. This alteration will change the PMC’s boundary in the East and South-East.

The state government constituted the Fursungi-Uruli Devachi Municipal Council with Vikram Rajput as an administrator to exercise powers and duties relating to the council till it was duly constituted by an elected body.

“As per Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Township Act, the state government specified that the areas of Fursungi and Uruli Devachi villages as smaller urban areas and constituted the Fursungi-Uruli Devachi Municipal Council while appointing an administrator with immediate effect,” said Maharashtra state deputy secretary Aniruddha Jewlikar in another notification.

The Maharashtra government has asked the civic body to provide its opinion on breaking the PMC and forming a new municipal corporation for the East Hadapsar and Wagholi area.

Pune city became a city with the largest geographical area in Maharashtra after the state government in June 2021 issued an order to extend the PMC boundaries by including 23 new villages, including Fursungi and Uruli Devachi.

After the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government came into power, former Sena legislator Vijay Shivtare had in December 2022 urged to exclude Uruli-Devachi and Fursungi villages from the PMC limit and form a separate civic body. The BJP refused to clear its stand on the demand but instead urged the Chief Minister to form another municipal corporation for East Hadapsar and Wagholi, citing the need for proper development of the area.

Shinde had assured of a separate municipal council for Uruli Devachi and Fursungi villages by moving them out of the PMC’s jurisdiction.

Shivtare, along with few villagers, had demanded that the two villages should be removed from the PMC citing lack of basic civic amenities despite them paying taxes. The villagers have been at loggerheads with PMC for years as the civic body set up its dumping ground in their jurisdiction.

The tussle had reached various courts and PMC took up development work in the area. The municipal commissioner resisted the demand to remove the villages from under the PMC’s jurusdiction saying that the civic body will soon take up various works related to water supply and sewage treatment in the areas. Moreover, the PMC had started the process of a town planning scheme for the areas.