Pune: The reservation on the 3.5 hectare land behind the Katraj Dairy as a playground will be changed. It will be reserved for the dairy and processing purpose. Suggestions and objections to the proposal will be invited to make the Pune District Milk Producers’ Co-operative Federation as the authority for the reservation. The proposal was approved by the City Improvement Committee of the PMC last month. The process to change the reservation began during the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule, in which Ajit Pawar was the Deputy Chief Minister, who had written a letter in this regard.
A 3.59 hectare land (appx. 7 acres) adjacent to survey no. 132 (part) to 133 (part) of the Pune District Milk Producers’ Co-operative Federation in Katraj has been reserved for a playground. The then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had written a letter to change the reservation to the dairy and processing purpose on February 3, 2021. He also instructed to make the Pune District Milk Producers’ Co-operative Federation its authority.
The letter was sent from the state government to the municipal corporation and the technical process has been completed. The civic body sent its reply to the state government on April 21, 2022 to which the state empowered the civic body to decide on the proposal on October 5, 2023. An administrator was appointed to the PMC from March 15, 2022. The Administrator and Municipal Commissioner proposed to invite suggestions and objections to complete the legal procedure to change the reservation and appoint the federation as its authority on December 19, 2023. It was approved in the meeting of the City Improvement Committee on December 20. Soon, suggestions and objections will be invited. After conducting a hearing on them, it will be sent for the government’s final approval.
Doubtful reservation not mentioned in the list
Dairy and processing business is related to the rural area. The reservation list of the development plan of the urban area does not include the dairy and processing business. In this backdrop, experts said that changing the reservation from the playground to dairy and processing is not allowed under the rules.
Where will children play?
The Katraj Gaothan and dairy areas have been a part of the old limits of the city. Dhankawadi, Balaji Nagar and Katraj areas have been developed rapidly in the past some years. The population of the area is over two lakh now. However, there are no playgrounds in the ratio to the population here. One of the playgrounds was given on rent to a school. There were disputes regarding entry to citizens to the playground. In this backdrop, if another plot is given to dairy and processing, there would be no playground left for children. The Pune-Satara highway forms the eastern boundary of the Katraj Dairy. On the south is the bypass. Citizens asked, “If the reservation is granted in the future, will children play on the highway?”
