The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has missed the extended deadline to prepare draft plans for 15 town planning schemes along the proposed 128-kilometre inner ring road, following sustained resistance from landowners and continuing ambiguity over a long-pending model planning scheme. The delay raises fresh concerns about how the region intends to manage rapid growth while retaining transparency and equity in land pooling.
According to officials, the deadline for submitting the draft layouts ended earlier this week, but the planning authority was unable to progress as several villages refused to release land for surveys or parcel demarcation. Much of this opposition, they said, is linked to the unresolved Maan–Mhalunge model town planning scheme, which has been awaiting clearance from the state government for years. The lack of movement on that scheme has deepened mistrust among communities expected to participate in the new planning process. Local farmers in Maval and surrounding areas reportedly questioned the rationale of initiating 15 new schemes when the earlier model scheme remains undecided. During consultations, many landowners expressed concern that delays could extend for years, potentially locking their agricultural parcels in limbo. This has created what officials described as a “stalemate”, leaving the authority unable to conduct the basic groundwork required for the drafting stage.
A senior official explained that, under amendments to the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, the responsibility for drafting now shifts to the joint director of town planning, who must prepare the schemes within a statutory timeframe. While the transfer ensures continuity, officials acknowledge that the lack of consensus on the ground continues to pose the more significant challenge. The 15 proposed schemes, first announced in late 2024, were intended to create infrastructure-ready townships around the ring road and shape a more organised urban expansion model. For a region experiencing rapid growth pressures, the schemes were seen as critical for shaping sustainable, climate-resilient and equitable development. By enabling planned layouts, walkable networks and improved public utilities, the initiative was expected to reduce unregulated sprawl and improve access to shared amenities.
However, the most intense pushback has emerged in Maval, where one of the schemes includes a proposed 65-metre-wide bypass road. Villagers argue that such a road would cut through productive farmland, permanently altering livelihoods. Officials clarified that no scheme would advance without community consent, but acknowledged that the absence of trust—and the pending model scheme—continues to impede progress. Urban planners say the impasse highlights the need for transparent communication, time-bound clearances and participatory planning frameworks. Without these, even well-intentioned schemes risk breeding local resentment, particularly in peri-urban areas experiencing rapid transition. Experts argue that sustainable and inclusive planning requires early engagement and clear compensation pathways, ensuring residents see long-term value in participating.
With the drafting now shifting to the town planning department, the process may gain administrative momentum. But officials concede that unless the underlying concerns of local communities are addressed, the region’s broader ambitions for orderly and climate-conscious development will remain difficult to realise.
Pune Faces Delays In Draft Town Planning Schemes Due Villager Resistance
