Pune Municipal Corporation is preparing to begin land acquisition and rehabilitation for the expansion of the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Memorial after the state government approved ₹300 crore for the long-delayed project. The civic body has completed a survey of the properties required for the expansion and plans to start the next stage after the model code of conduct ends.
The project involves acquiring 5,608 square metres of land under provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act. This includes 5,310 square metres of private land and 298 square metres classified as road land. The acquisition will affect properties spread across 101 City Survey numbers.
According to the report by Pudhari, the municipal corporation has identified 592 property owners and 326 tenants who will require rehabilitation. The survey and documentation process has been completed, including the collection of owners’ names, property areas and property card details. The civic body is now preparing to move towards acquisition and taking possession of the land.
Property owners will be offered compensation at four times the Ready Reckoner rate or an option of available flats equivalent to that amount, according to the rehabilitation arrangement approved by the Pune Municipal Corporation’s general body. Existing tenants will be offered available flats on rent or a cash compensation of ₹15 lakh.
The general body approved the rehabilitation proposal on 25 August, clearing a key administrative step in the project. The rehabilitation framework is significant because the memorial expansion requires the acquisition of occupied private properties rather than only vacant public land. The survey has therefore been used to establish the identities of affected stakeholders, the extent of their properties and the documents required for the acquisition process.
The state government has approved ₹300 crore for the project, of which ₹100 crore has already been received by the municipal corporation. The process for releasing the remaining amount is under way. The civic administration now intends to accelerate land acquisition and possession before beginning the physical expansion work.
The project has remained pending for several years, with funding, land acquisition and rehabilitation forming its principal implementation stages. The latest approval does not itself mark the completion of acquisition or construction, but it provides a sanctioned funding framework and a defined rehabilitation arrangement for the affected owners and tenants. The next steps are the commencement of the acquisition process after the model code of conduct ends, followed by rehabilitation and transfer of the required land for the memorial expansion.
