PCMC to get 85 acre defence land for civic projects

Twelve years after the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation approached the Central Government seeking Army land for civic development projects,the Defence Ministry has approved transfer of 85 acre land located in differents parts of the twin industrial township. The Ministry has approved as many as 15 proposals of the 20 that PCMC sent to it.

Municipal Commissioner Ashish Sharma said the PCMC had sent 20 proposals to the Defence Ministry for approval. “Of these,15 have been approved. As regards the other five,the Ministry has sought more information,” he said. The PCMC had sought Army land at Dapodi,Phugewadi,Nashik Phata,Pimple Nilkah,Pimple Saudagar,Sangvi,Dighi,Bhopkhel,Pimpri Diary Farm for constructing roads and flyovers. In Dapodi and Dighi-Wadmukhwadi,the PCMC had sought land for road widening. It is pushing the Army wall in Dapodi-Phugewadi area inside and constructing a new one as per the Army specificiations. At Nashik Phata,the PCMC had been seeking land for BRTS and for parking lot. In Pimple Saudagar,the civic body is planning to construct a ringroad. In Pimple Nilakh,the civic administration wants to widen road,in Aundh-Sangvi it plans to widen road and set up an octroi post. And in Pimpri,the PCMC wants 8000 square metre land for road leading to the proposed railway overbridge.

At a press conference on Tuesday where Mayor Aparna Doke and standing committee chairman Dnyaneshwar Bhalerao were also present,Sharma said the PCMC has been pursuing the matter with the Defence Ministry for more than a decade. Mayor Doke said NCP chief Sharad Pawar had pushed the civic body’s case with government. “Finally,at a meeting in January this year,the ministry had approved the civic proposals seeking land for various development works,” she said.

The PCMC is likely to pay Rs 105 crore in lieu of the land,but this will be decided at a meeting on Friday,civic sources said.