Pune: Charholi residents call bandh on May 30 to oppose proposed town planning schemes

Time of India

6 days ago

PUNE
: Residents of Charholi have intensified their protest against PCMC over the proposed Town Planning schemes and have called for a 'bandh' in the area on Friday.
Many residents, primarily small landholders, expressed strong opposition to the plan, claiming that the scheme would reduce their landholdings and adversely impact livelihoods. The
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
(PCMC) proposed five Town Planning (TP) schemes covering a total of 1,425 hectares in Charholi. An intention in this regard was published in the newspaper last month.
Residents argued that they lost big portions of their land to previous development projects and could not afford to lose more land now. "My family lost six acres for the development of two major roads in the area. If the administration now plans to take away our remaining farmland, which our families preserved for generations, we will resist it strongly," said Rohidas Kakade, a local farmer.
Earlier, the civic body proposed six TP schemes — one for Chikhali and five for Charholi. The Chikhali plan was scrapped because of strong opposition. Now, residents are demanding rollback of the Charholi schemes also. They want the civic body to focus on executing development according to the existing Development Plan (DP). Two weeks ago, a group of residents staged a protest in front of the municipal corporation and submitted a formal letter of objection to the municipal commissioner.
Ulhas Kate, another farmer, said they lost land for a petrol pipeline and the widening of a 90-metre road. "The municipal corporation placed a reservation on our land in the existing DP. Now, with the TP scheme, they want to take even more land, which is unjust," he said, alleging that the civic officials had put reservation in the TP scheme only on land owned by farmers.
A majority of landowners in the Charholi area are small farmers. "If the TP scheme allows the municipal corporation to acquire 40–50% of our land, the remaining land will be of no practical use," Kate said.
BJP leader and former PCMC mayor Nitin Kalje, a resident of Charholi, said TP schemes had not been successful in other parts of the state and could delay development in Charholi. "Even if a single landowner challenges the scheme in court, the entire process could be stalled for years," he said.
Kalje argued that TP schemes were more suited for newly merged areas of the municipal corporation, not for rapidly developing localities like Charholi. "Charholi saw massive growth, with several high-rise residential towers already built with PCMC's permission, while construction of more such towers is under way. If the civic body allowed construction, I don't understand how it plans to reserve these lands now under the TP scheme," he said.
Prasad Gaikwad, the deputy director of PCMC's town planning department, said there was some misunderstanding among residents regarding the TP schemes. "We are working to create awareness about the advantages of these. These plans are designed to promote systematic and planned development. These will ultimately benefit local residents," he said.
Gaikwad clarified that the TP schemes were still in the initial phase. "The municipal corporation has only published a notice of intention in the newspaper. There is still a long way to go before implementation. If residents continue to raise objections, the civic body is open to taking an appropriate decision at a later stage," he said.