Pune, Kirkee cantonment boards to be merged with PMC in 3 months

Pune Cantonment MLA Sunil Kamble said he had been demanding the merger considering the lack of civic facilities in these areas. Four other cantonment boards will also see a change in their status.

Maharashtra government approves merger of Pune and Kirkee cantonments civic areas with PMC. (File Photo)

Paving the way to meet citizens’ demand for better facilities, the Maharashtra Government Thursday gave in-principle consent for the merger of the civic areas of the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) and the Kirkee Cantonment Board (KCB) with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Four other cantonment boards are also being merged with the respective local bodies or are being turned into independent local bodies.

“Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has given in-principle approval for the inclusion of Pune and Kirkee cantonment boards under the PMC,” said BJP MLA Sunil Kamble who represents the Pune Cantonment Assembly constituency, adding that Fadnavis has directed the merger process to be completed within the next three months as per the proposal from the Ministry of Defence.

The MLA said he had been demanding the merger considering the lack of civic facilities in these areas due to the financial crunch faced by the cantonment boards. Despite being adjacent to the municipal area, many residents in cantonment areas faced several inconveniences owing to a lack of basic amenities, he said.

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Approving the merger, Fadnavis stated that it will help ensure overall development in these areas. Maharashtra has cantonment areas in Pune, Khadki (Kirkee), Deolali, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kamptee, Ahmednagar, and Dehu Road.

Each cantonment has a unique situation, so while some will be merged directly with municipal corporations, others will become new independent municipal councils. Matters such as tax collection, electricity, water supply, financial issues, and staff transfers would be handled according to the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Defence.

Accordingly, the Aurangabad cantonment will be merged with the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation. The Deolali and Ahmednagar cantonments will become independent municipal councils, and the Kamptee cantonment will be included in the Yerkheda Nagar Panchayat.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the state government will financially assist in the development of the cantonment areas of Pune, Khadki, Deolali, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kamptee, and Ahmednagar. He instructed the respective municipal corporations and councils to submit proposals to the District Planning Committee for this purpose.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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