Pimpri: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has revived the proposal for merging nine villages, including Hinjawadi, in its limits.
Earlier, the proposal was put on hold, as most of the villages opposed it. The PCMC General Body (GB) approved the revived proposal on Monday. The said villages include Man, Marunji, Nere, Jambe, Sangawade, Gahunje, Dehugaon and Vitthalwadi.
The merger of Hinjawadi in municipal limits is likely to solve many problems of the rapidly urbanised village located in the biggest info-tech park of the country. The village is facing water shortage, lack of drainage lines and lack of garbage management.
The proposal was submitted by PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar to the GB to get its nod for submitting a fresh proposal to the State government.
In June 2016, the State government rejected PCMC’s demand to merge the seven villages in municipal limits as Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) would be doing development in these areas.
The civic chief has written to the Pune divisional commissioner to appeal to the State government to reconsider the decision.
“Considering the current pace of development in these villages, there is urgent need for merger of these villages into PMC limits,” Hardikar stated in the proposal.
Ruling BJP members from these merged villages use this as an opportunity to target the NCP for failure to address problems of merged villages during its tenure.
Sachin Chikhale of MNS said, “Villages that were merged in PCMC in past have not got amenities even after 20 years. Many areas are getting less water, garbage is not being cleared. So there is no point in merging new villages in PCMC limits.”
NCP’s Datta Sane said, “We were raising the issues of lack of amenities in merged villages during NCP’s rule. But these areas are still not getting the amenities. So what we are going to achieve through the merger.”
Sandip Waghere of the BJP said, “We should first go through the performance of the civic body for implementation of Development Plan in merged areas.”
Shekhar Ovhal said, “Areas in neighborhood like Gahunje are using PCMC’s water illegally. If these areas are merged, we will get revenue by taxes. The people there will get better facilities.”
BJP’s Mai Dhore said, “If these villages are merged all amenities will be provided. But the civic body will face problem supplying water as the water quota is limited.”