Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi has temporarily halted land measurement for the proposed Pune inner ring road in Maval after farmers from seven villages opposed the planned alignment and sought a route that would avoid fertile agricultural land.
The decision was announced at a meeting held at the collector’s office to hear objections from residents affected by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s proposed project. Farmers from Nere, Sangavade, Darumbre, Salumbre, Dumbre, Dhamane and Parandwadi attended the meeting along with elected representatives and district officials.
The farmers said the alignment would affect their agricultural holdings and demanded that it be changed. They cited the earlier realignment of the Marunji-Gahunje road, which they alleged had been undertaken to benefit builders, and asked the administration to consider a similar change for the inner ring road in favour of affected landowners.
Officials explained the expected benefits of the proposed road and assured the farmers that the administration would not allow injustice. Land acquisition officer Dr Vanshree Labsetwar also briefed the meeting on demands raised during village-level discussions and what officials described as misconceptions about the project.
The assurances did not resolve the disagreement. Farmers clarified that their objections were not focused on compensation or financial benefits, but on the proposed route itself and the impact on agricultural land. Some participants reportedly attempted to leave the meeting before discussions resumed after the intervention of MLA Sunil Shelke.
Several farmers then presented specific objections. Suryakant Sorte called for a route change, referring to the Marunji-Gahunje road realignment. Rohan Jagtap raised questions about discrepancies in zoning-related information provided by the authorities and described the effect of the proposed alignment on farmers. He also presented objections submitted by residents, resolutions passed by gram sabhas and details of an alternative route.
The meeting was attended by former minister of state Bala Bhegde, land acquisition officer Dr Vanshree Labsetwar, sub-divisional officer Surendra Navale, Maval tehsildar Vikram Deshmukh and representatives of the seven villages. Representatives of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, including Popat Rakshe, Ramnath Garade, Rambhau Sawant, Kantilal Sorte, Atul Garade and Pradeep Sawant, also raised objections.
Taking note of the opposition, Dudi announced the temporary suspension of the land measurement process. The administration’s next steps on the alignment and the alternative route proposed by the farmers were not specified in the report.
