Pune: A Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation-appointed panel on Monday is set to begin hearings on over 56,000 objections and suggestions on its draft Development Plan (DP) over a year after it was published.The draft DP was published on May 15, 2025, and drew over 56,000 objections and suggestions. Many residents alleged that reservations had been incorrectly marked on residential properties or on projects that had already received approvals and completion certificates. The draft had triggered widespread protests by resident groups and political parties.Meanwhile, a senior PCMC official said the hearings would be conducted at GD Madgulkar Hall in Nigdi till Dec 31. “The committee will hear applicants before finalising the revised draft. The town planning department will assist the committee during the hearings and has been temporarily shifted to the hall for the period,” he said.The govt has granted the civic body a six-month extension to complete the hearing process. Under the revised timeline, the committee has to conclude hearings by Dec and submit the final draft DP to the state for approval.The hearing panel comprises retired joint director of town planning Prakash Bukte, retired deputy directors Dattatraya Pawar and Uttareshwar Londhe, environmental engineering expert Narsu Shinde and three standing committee members — Abhishek Barne, Sandip Kaspate and Sarika Gaikwad — nominated by the PCMC general body.The ruling party as well as the opposition have criticised the draft DP since its publication, with allegations that reservations for public amenities were wrongly proposed at many locations in the city. The issue was also raised in the state assembly, where BJP MLAs demanded the draft be scrapped. However, the state govt said it would take a decision only after the hearing process was completed and the revised draft submitted.A senior PCMC official said the committee had the authority to accept or reject objections and suggestions received during the hearings before forwarding the final DP to the state for approval.
