In a recent announcement, Commissioner Rahul Mahiwal of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) clarified that the chief minister’s development plan (DP) authority meeting will only proceed upon receiving consent from the Bombay High Court. Mahiwal expressed the intention to expedite the process by filing an affidavit with the HC within two weeks.
The clearance of the DP, covering an area of approximately 7,000 sq km, faces potential delays due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, as stated by PMRDA sources. Without an expedited hearing, the entire exercise may extend beyond the elections scheduled in a few months.
PMRDA officials are hopeful that the court will grant permission for the DP authority meeting. Initially scheduled by CM Eknath Shinde for January 24, the draft DP authority meeting was rescheduled, awaiting the necessary clearance from the Bombay High Court.
According to the court’s instructions, the state must obtain clearance from the HC before finalizing the development plan. The officials concluded hearings on the 69,200 suggestions and objections to the draft DP in December 2023, with the expert committee submitting the plan to PMRDA, accompanied by twenty-three recommendations.
The Bombay High Court mandated the state to seek its approval before finalizing the DP while allowing the state’s urban development department to continue receiving comments and objections to the draft DP, as per an interim order passed in response to a PIL filed by three gram panchayats of Khed, Mulshi, and Maval talukas.
