PUNE, Oct 29: An ambitious housing project costing nearly Rs 150 crore for industrial employees and others in the low-income group will be implemented by the Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority (PCNTDA).The proposal was approved at a stormy meeting of the PCNTDA presided over by divisional commissioner Rajeev Agarwal. When the proposal was put to vote, non-official members outnumbered the officials. Finally, it was approved with seven in favour and five opposing it.The project, according to the official members, was unfeasible. Officials maintained that in the period of recession all over, there is very less demand for flats or tenements. Going ahead with such a huge project would mean dead investment, the officials argued.Interestingly, the proposal is now to be sent to the State Government for approval. Shiv Sena MLA Gajanan Babar who is one of the PCNTDA members said that there was no precedent that PCNTDA forwarded its proposals to the State Government for approval. He expressed confidence that the State Government will finally give a green signal to the project. The project entails construction of 5000 tenements to the industrial employees of the low-income group in sector numbers four and six. The area of each tenement will be between 500 and 550 sq ft. The process of alloting work for construction of tenements is to be completed as per the directives of the State Government.In another decision, the sizes of the industrial plots in sector numbers seven and ten (electronic zone), have been reduced. As a result the number of plots has increased by 153.
