Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is exploring a policy shift to transfer ownership of reserved land for essential services such as police stations, post offices, and electricity distribution offices to the respective government departments.

Currently leased to these departments, the proposed move aims to streamline operations and reduce administrative challenges by making these spaces permanently owned by the departments.

As part of its Development Plan (DP), the PMC reserves specific plots for critical state and central government services, acquiring the land from private owners and leasing it to relevant agencies.

However, payments for such leases often face delays, while the PMC incurs expenses when acquiring land for these services or settling bills between government departments and itself. This has prompted a reevaluation of the existing model.

Key Proposal Highlights:

• Reserved lands for essential services will be transferred with ownership rights to respective departments like the police, post offices, and electricity distribution offices.

• In exchange, the PMC will either take over equivalent government-owned land or settle service charges based on the land value.

The policy aims to resolve recurring administrative bottlenecks, such as delayed rent payments and resource-heavy settlements between the PMC and government agencies.

Senior officials confirmed that discussions with relevant government departments are underway to finalize this policy. The initiative will focus on ensuring that both the PMC and the concerned agencies achieve operational efficiencies and reduce financial disputes.

Reserved spaces are rarely relocated or repurposed, leaving the PMC with limited flexibility. Administrative resources are tied up in settling pending bills for services exchanged between PMC and government agencies. Delayed rent payments from government institutions add to the administrative burden.