Pune: The Bombay High Court has criticized the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for delaying the necessary land acquisition for the Baner-Pashan link road project.

The court has directed the PMC to submit an affidavit within ten days specifying the exact timeline for completing the land acquisition. Despite court instructions, no progress has been made, which is unacceptable, the court stated.

This directive comes in response to a petition filed by the Baner-Pashan Link Road Welfare Trust due to the incomplete status of the road.

According to the 1992 plan, the road is designed to be 36 meters wide and 1200 meters long, connecting Pashan and Baner. The completion of this road will benefit approximately 250,000 residents in the area.

Although 80 per cent of the work was completed by 2014, a 200-meter stretch in the middle remains unfinished. This section belongs to a private owner who has demanded compensation in cash.

The compensation amount, as per the valuation, is around ₹48 crores. Unable to provide such a large sum, the PMC had initiated discussions with the landowner to acquire the land through Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and Floor Space Index (FSI).

In a previous affidavit, the PMC had cited the lack of a General Body assembly and the need for policy decisions as reasons for the delay, which the court found unsatisfactory.

The court has now instructed the PMC to submit a new affidavit detailing when exactly the land will be acquired, taking into account the inconvenience to citizens. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for July 24.

"The court's orders have been communicated to the road and land acquisition departments. A meeting will be held at a senior level, and the PMC will submit the affidavit to the Mumbai High Court within the next ten days," said Adv. Nisha Chavan, Chief Legal Officer, PMC.