The state government notification regarding the merger of 23 villages in the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is expected soon.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday held a meeting in the state capital and discussed various issues pertaining to Pune. The key concerns included handing over of schools and anganwadis from 11 villages that were included in city limits in 2018, merger of 23 new villages, redevelopment of MHADA buildings, execution of Shivne-Kharadi Road and construction of safety walls at Katraj Lake and Ambil Odha.
The meeting was largely attended by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders from the city, including MLAs Chetan Tupe and Sunil Tingre and leader of opposition in PMC Deepali Dhumal. City mayor Muralidhar Mohol expressed displeasure claiming that though the meeting was about city-related issues, he had not been invited.
Tupe said that though no separate discussions on merger of 23 villages were held, Pawar instructed various departments to work in coordination so that there are no hurdles in the process. He said that the merger proposal is in the final stages and the notification is expected in the next few days.
The state government had invited suggestion and objections on the merger of 23 villages. A detailed report was submitted by the Pune divisional commissioner to the government recently. NCP has been pushing for merger ahead of the municipal polls scheduled for next February.
Tupe said that a discussion was also held on construction of safety walls along water bodies. “The proposal to construct safety walls at Ambil Odha and Katraj Lake will be discussed with the mayor and other elected members in the next meeting to be held in Pune. The deputy chief minister also asked representatives to explore the option of constructing the elevated Shivne-Kharadi road on a single pillar along the river,” he added.
Tingre said, “The redevelopment of MHADA buildings located in city’s eastern parts has been pending for long. Pawar asked us to draft a plan.”