The long-pending redevelopment of the Yerawada MHADA Colony in Pune has received a fresh push after Union Minister Ramdas Athawale took up residents’ safety concerns and asked for a meeting with airport authorities to address permission-related obstacles.
A delegation of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) met Athawale in Mumbai to seek fast-track action for the redevelopment of buildings in Survey No. 191-A of the Maharashtra Housing Board colony. The buildings are about 40 years old, and residents have raised concerns about their safety.
The delegation told the minister that a decision on redevelopment was urgently required to avoid a possible accident arising from the ageing condition of the structures. It also sought an acceleration of the redevelopment process so that residents could eventually receive safer homes.
According to the report, Balasaheb Janrao presented the current status of the project and explained the difficulties connected with obtaining permission from the Air Force. The report does not specify the stage reached by the redevelopment proposal or identify the precise permission still pending.
Following the delegation’s request, Athawale spoke by telephone with Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol about the issue. Athawale instructed that a meeting be arranged with airport officials to seek urgent permissions in view of the old condition of the buildings.
Mohol responded positively and assured the delegation that a meeting would be held soon. The intervention places the redevelopment issue before multiple levels of authority, including the housing administration and officials responsible for aviation or defence-related clearances.
The report identifies the condition of the buildings and the pending permissions as the immediate issues affecting the colony’s redevelopment. It does not provide details of a sanctioned redevelopment plan, construction agency, funding arrangement, rehabilitation package, project cost or completion deadline.
The RPI (Athawale) delegation included Pune city president Sanjay Sonawane, Sham Sadafule, Nilesh Rokade, Sunil Gawali, Ravi Awasarmal and Akshay Awasarmal. The group said it would continue pursuing the matter so that residents could secure safer housing.
The next reported step is a meeting between the concerned officials and airport authorities. Further progress will depend on the permissions required for the redevelopment and on the formal decisions taken after that meeting.
