In two years of formation,panel met just once last year The first official meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will be held next month after the legislative session ends on April 23. I shall be able to conduct the meeting after the session. Many issues have been coming up but I have not been able to address the MPC meeting, the CM told The Indian Express before attending the All India Literary Meet. Just one meeting was held last year in January after the election of 30 members. Deputy director of town planning Sadhana Naik said they have been sending agendas for the meetings,but none was conducted. She said even as the corporations are independently taking decisions on the metro rail route as well as the bio-diversity park issue,it has not been tabled before the MPC. The corporations seem to have forgotten about this body that has been formed to look over the development of the entire district, she said. Member and corporator Ujjwal Keskar said he along with member Dilip Barate had written to the Chief Minister about conducting the meeting. There is no use forming a body and ignoring it completely. There are so many development issues in Pune and if the meeting is not chaired by the CM soon,Pune will lag behind other cities, he said. Kishore Shinde,another MPC member and corporator,said there has been no progress on the implementation of the PMRDA and MPC has been totally neglected. All developmental issues should be put before the MPC, he said. Naik said all members should put pressure on the government to hold the meeting.
