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Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
37,500 objections and counting: Complaints against PCMC draft DP pour in as citizens and politicians want it scrapped
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has received more than 37,500 suggestions and objections to its draft development plan (DP), which was released in May, including concerns expressed by politicians. 'We have received more than 35,000 suggestions and objections to the draft DP…and the state government DP unit has received 2,500 objections and suggestions,' an official from the town planning department said. The last date for filing the suggestions and objections is July 14. From citizens taking out protests, demanding that it be scrapped, to MLAs and MLCs raising concerns about reservation or allocation of land for specific public purposes, the draft DP has triggered unrest across the industrial city. MP Shrirang Barne has demanded the cancellation of the draft DP. 'I met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently and urged him to cancel the draft DP as it has several wrong reservations. I pointed out to him how citizens are agitated,' he said. Barne said that Fadnavis has promised to act on his demand. 'He told me, let the suggestions and objections come in. He said that when the draft DP comes to the state government for approval, the government will take an appropriate decision,' he added. Barne said he has also filed a few objections to the draft DP. 'Like several citizens, I too found that the DP unit has made several incorrect and highly objectionable reservations,' he said. BJP MLA Mahesh Landge and MLCs Amit Gorkhe and Uma Khapre have criticised the reservation for a slaughterhouse in Moshi, which was close to the temple town of Alandi, saying it 'is highly objectionable'. Landge pointed out that even temple trust lands have come under the ambit of reservation in his constituency. 'The DP is full of objectionable reservations. In Moshi, temple land has been brought under the purview of the reservation,' he said. Seema Sawale, former chairperson of the PCMC standing committee, filed 134-page objections to the draft DP on Friday. Speaking to The Indian Express on Saturday, she said, 'The draft DP is the most shocking piece of document ever prepared in the history of Pimpri-Chinchwad. It should be scrapped. The DP unit has made reservations where it should not have. And where reservation was required, it has turned a blind eye.' Sawale alleged the draft DP favours the affluent, including the builders. 'The draft DP has removed reservations from hilltops and hill slopes, which is a clear indication that the civic body wants to hand over land to builders,' she alleged. Sawale also highlighted concerns regarding the floodline marked in the DP draft. 'The floodline favours builders and does injustice to farmers who are set to lose their land if the DP reservations are implemented. The floodline is not based on the one marked by the irrigation department,' she said. Sawale said the entire Bhosari-Dighi red zone, where construction is not permitted, is shown as a green belt in the draft DP. 'The Rupeenagar-Talawade red zone has 46 reservations. No constructions are permitted in red zones. The draft DP shows the area as a yellow belt with 46 reservations,' she said. Civic activist Avinash Chilekar flagged the reservation of 175 acres in Jadhavwadi-Kudalwadi for a convention centre. 'There is no need for a convention centre in Jadhavwadi. This is because a 250-acre convention centre has already been set up in the Moshi area. Close to it, there is a Bhosari district centre on 100 acres. There is another space for a 50-acre convention centre in Moshi. If there are three convention centres, why do we need one more?' Chilekar also questioned the reservation for a High Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMTR). 'HCMTR reservation will lead to the demolition of 5,000 houses in Thergaon, Kalewadi, Rahatni, Chinchwad Nagar and Bijlinagar. This reservation was there in the old DP of 1995, but the PCMC failed to implement it. Now, three decades later, it has made the same reservation again,' he said.
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
PCMC decision to reserve land for police station behind Ambedkar memorial in Pimpri draws flak
Chairperson of the PCMC's Standing Committee Seema Sawale has strongly condemned the decision of the civic body to reserve a portion of 'Bhimsrushthi Maidan' – a revered site behind Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar statue in Pimpri – for a police station, municipal use, and a bus terminus. In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCM), Sawale said the move is a direct assault on the sentiments of Ambedkar followers and has warned of widespread public agitation if the decision is not revoked. Bhimsrushthi Maidan—centrally located in Pimpri-Chinchwad— holds immense significance for Ambedkarites, serving as a focal point for faith, inspiration, and unity. The annual Ambedkar Jayanti is held here with week-long celebrations featuring processions, lectures, and cultural programmes that draw thousands of citizens. Beyond the Jayanti celebrations, the ground is a consistent venue for various social, political, and cultural gatherings, hosting numerous prominent personalities, said Sawale. The standing committee chairperson emphasized that the ground is a living testament to the Ambedkar movement and the social fabric of Pimpri-Chinchwad. 'This is the only dedicated space in the city for Dr. Ambedkar's followers to pay homage to the great man,' said Sawale. 'The revised development plan is a conspiracy to snatch that away. Deliberately reserving land at this historical site for a police station is a gross insult to all Ambedkarites and a vile plot to prevent the celebration of Ambedkar Jayanti,' she said. Sawale has demanded the immediate cancellation of all reservations on Bhimsrushthi Maidan, proposing instead that it be officially designated as 'Bhimsrushthi Maidan' in the development plan. She warned that if the administration fails to comply, a powerful public movement will be launched pressing the PCMC to withdraw its decision.
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
CM Fadnavis cancels PCMC plan for slaughterhouse near Alandi
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday cancelled the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) plan for a slaughterhouse near the temple town of Alandi. The PCMC had made a reservation in its latest draft development plan (DP) for a slaughterhouse on Dehu-Alandi Road in Moshi, which was just three km from Alandi town, which has a religious and spiritual significance. 'The latest development plan of PCMC includes a reservation for a slaughterhouse in the Moshi-Alandi area. However, under no circumstances will a slaughterhouse be allowed there. I have issued orders to remove the reservation. I want to assure Warkaris and their leaders that there will absolutely not be a slaughterhouse,' the Chief Minister told reporters in Pune, where he had come for Yoga Day celebrations. Just four days ago, when he attended a civic event at Chikhli in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Chief Minister had asked Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh to cancel the civic plan for a Town Planning scheme in Charholi area. The CM's response had come following protests from residents of Charholi. 'I am hereby directing the Municipal Commissioner to scrap the TP scheme plan in Charholi,' he had said when Bhosari MLA Mahesh Landge raised the issue in front of him. With both its plans scrapped by the Chief Minister, the PCMC administration finds itself on a sticky wicket. Despite repeated calls, the civic chief was not available for comment. Other officials also refused to comment. PCMC city engineer Makrand Nikam said the slaughterhouse plan is looked after by the environment department. Sanjay Kulkarni, who heads the civic environment department, said his department was not concerned with the plan. The objections to the slaughterhouse plan had first come from former BJP corporator Seema Sawale, who is also former PCMC standing committee chairperson. Sawale had filed her objections with PCMC and also sent a letter to the Chief Minister, urging him to cancel the slaughterhouse plan near Alandi. 'Alandi occupies a special place in the heart of the Marathi manoos. It is our religious and spiritual abode. It is the place from where Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj taught the world the values of unity and brotherhood and how we should treat everyone with respect and love. How dare anyone even dream of setting up a slaughterhouse near such a sacred place? It has hurt the sentiments of Warkaris. The PCMC officials have clearly erred on this count. We welcome the decision taken by the Chief Minister who has acted promptly in the matter. He has taken the decision just days after I alerted him through the complaint,' Sawale said. It is from Alandi that the tradition of Wari started some 800 years ago and which attracts lakhs to the temple town every June when the palkhi procession takes off to Pandharpur. Sawale said the Chief Minister's decisions have come as a big relief for residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad as there was lot of unrest among them. 'The CM has made correct decisions in the last four days. People were angry with the PCMC and the state government. The scrapping of both plans of PCMC will ease the tempers which had been running high,' she said. When the CM had come for the inauguration ceremony for various development works in Pimpri-Chinchwad, local residents had also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister requesting the slaughterhouse reservation's cancellation. BJP MLA Mahesh Landge also raised the demand with Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh and the Chief Minister. In a statement, Mahesh Landge said, 'The BJP-Mahayuti government in Maharashtra and the Centre is committed to working in the interest of faith, the nation, and religion. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has consistently taken a firm stance by pushing for laws to ban cow slaughter and promote cow protection and welfare. The administration earlier scrapped the TP (Town Planning) scheme in Chikhli and halted the one in Charholi, though some people tried to create confusion over the matter. The Chief Minister cleared the air and resolved the issue publicly in just a minute.' Civic activist Avinash Chilekar said, 'The PCMC administration has faced a huge embarrassment this week. Twice the Chief Minister has sort of reprimanded it for trying to implement wrong and anti-people plans.' Chilekar said, 'Not just the Charholi TP plan or the slaughter house plan, the Chief Minister will have to cancel the entire draft development plan. Because if the DP is implemented, thousands of residents will be displaced. Incidentally, the DP has favoured constructions on hilltops and hillslopes where the builders and affluent class has bought land. Therefore, I strongly feel the CM should not allow the PCMC administration to go ahead with the current draft DP. It should not be approved by the government.' Manoj More has been working with the Indian Express since 1992. For the first 16 years, he worked on the desk, edited stories, made pages, wrote special stories and handled The Indian Express edition. In 31 years of his career, he has regularly written stories on a range of topics, primarily on civic issues like state of roads, choked drains, garbage problems, inadequate transport facilities and the like. He has also written aggressively on local gondaism. He has primarily written civic stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki, Maval and some parts of Pune. He has also covered stories from Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar and Latur. He has had maximum impact stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial city which he has covered extensively for the last three decades. Manoj More has written over 20,000 stories. 10,000 of which are byline stories. Most of the stories pertain to civic issues and political ones. The biggest achievement of his career is getting a nearly two kilometre road done on Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki in 2006. He wrote stories on the state of roads since 1997. In 10 years, nearly 200 two-wheeler riders had died in accidents due to the pathetic state of the road. The local cantonment board could not get the road redone as it lacked funds. The then PMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi took the initiative, went out of his way and made the Khadki road by spending Rs 23 crore from JNNURM Funds. In the next 10 years after the road was made by the PMC, less than 10 citizens had died, effectively saving more than 100 lives. Manoj More's campaign against tree cutting on Pune-Mumbai highway in 1999 and Pune-Nashik highway in 2004 saved 2000 trees. During Covid, over 50 doctors were asked to pay Rs 30 lakh each for getting a job with PCMC. The PCMC administration alerted Manoj More who did a story on the subject, asking then corporators how much money they story worked as doctors got the job without paying a single paisa. Manoj More has also covered the "Latur drought" situation in 2015 when a "Latur water train" created quite a buzz in Maharashtra. He also covered the Malin tragedy where over 150 villagers had died. Manoj More is on Facebook with 4.9k followers (Manoj More), on twitter manojmore91982 ... Read More
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation revised development plan: No quota for toilets for women, disabled in draft plan, says former standing panel chief
Former Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) standing committee chairperson Seema Sawale on Tuesday raised concern over the 'complete absence' of any reservation for public toilets and urinals, primarily for women and disabled citizens, in the recently published Revised Draft Development Plan (DP) 2025 for Pimpri-Chinchwad. In her objections sent to PCMC, Sawale emphasised that this 'critical blunder' profoundly undermines public health, gender equity as well as the dignity and accessibility needs of women, persons with disabilities and senior citizens. The draft DP has also failed to comply with crucial national and global sanitation mandates. As per the draft development plan, PCMC's population is projected to soar from an estimated 27 lakh in 2021 to 42.45 lakh by 2031 and a staggering 61 lakh by 2041. The absence of any dedicated plot for public sanitation in the Revised Draft Development Plan is a critical oversight. Despite extensive reservations for amenities like schools and parks across 173.12 this essential public health infrastructure has been conspicuously ignored, Sawale said. 'The absence of public toilets encourages open urination and defecation, contributing to the spread of diseases like cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, and typhoid. The proximity of PCMC to rivers such as Pavana, Indrayani, and Mula too heightens the risk of water contamination from unmanaged human waste. This pollution affects drains and public spaces, undermining urban hygiene and conflicting with PCMC's sustainable development objectives,' Sawale said. Sawale said the absence of accessible and appropriate sanitation facilities disproportionately affects women, adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Sawale said that pregnant as well as women undergoing menstruation face severe hygiene challenges and increased health risks such as urinary tract infections due to the lack of safe and adequate toilets. 'For persons with disabilities and senior citizens, the complete absence of accessible toilets severely restricts their participation in public life,' she said. The draft DP directly disregards the Swachh Bharat Mission's (SBM) mandate for universal public sanitation, which recommends one public toilet seat per 200-250 users. It also ignores the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines recommending public toilets every 500–1,000 metres along arterial roads. Furthermore, the DP fails to align with the National Urban Sanitation Policy and Sustainable Development Goals for Clean Water and Sanitation, which targets adequate sanitation by 2030, Sawale alleged. Sawale has urged the PCMC to reserve land for public toilets and urinals at regular intervals along arterial and sub-arterial roads, bus stands, metro stations, and marketplaces, ensuring these facilities are gender-segregated, accessible for persons with disabilities, and suitable for the elderly. Additionally, she calls for a citywide toilet masterplan to ensure sustainable sanitation infrastructure. PCMC has called for suggestions and objections from the public for the draft of the revised development plan. Sawale has urged citizens to file their suggestions/objections and raise the issue of reserving space for public toilets and urinals.
