Pune: The PMRDA has sought clarity from the state urban development department (UDD) on whether it will continue to execute the Maan-Mhalunge Town Planning Scheme (TPS-1), or if the PMC will take over this project following the merger of Mhalunge village into its limits.Officials told TOI that a clear decision from the state is needed as the 250-hectare scheme’s paperwork is at an advanced stage and awaiting final approval to move into the implementation phase.Senior Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) officials said the authority has written to the UDD seeking directions on the implementing agency, as the scheme was initiated by PMRDA in 2017 and continues to be under its jurisdiction as the special planning authority (SPA). “Clarity has been sought from the state on whether PMRDA should continue as the SPA and execute the TPS-1 or if Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will take over the implementation after the merger of Mhalunge into its limits,” a PMRDA official confirmed.The Maan-Mhalunge TPS-1 was conceived as a model town planning project for the fast-growing Hinjewadi belt and has undergone multiple rounds of discussions, redesign and arbitration over the years. An arbitrator was appointed to finalise plot reconstitution and incorporate technical changes, including revised flood lines and infrastructure layouts, following which the redesigned preliminary scheme was submitted to state govt for approval.Officials said PMRDA continues to function as the designated SPA to ensure continuity of the project, which is now nearing the implementation stage. The authority has urged the state to clear the proposal at the earliest so that infrastructure development, including roads, water supply, sewage networks and public amenities, can begin on ground.Landowners in the Maan-Mhalunge area have also been demanding speedy approval of the scheme, citing delays and uncertainty over execution after the administrative merger with PMC. The TPS-1 is expected to streamline development in the Hinjewadi-Maan-Mhalunge corridor and serve as a model for planned urban expansion in Pune Metropolitan Region.At a recent meeting, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had directed the UDD to expedite decisions on pending PMRDA planning proposals and clear them at the earliest.Another PMRDA official said, “We have not received any clearance for this scheme, although four other schemes were cleared. The CM asked the department to clear the project.”Citizens who have agreed to give up land for the project said state govt should be clear about whether it wants to continue with the project. “We have been waiting for nearly six years now. It is exasperating to be unable to do anything with our land,” said a land owner from Mhalunge. Another beneficiary said, “I have written to the PMRDA commissioner regarding the delay and there being no clarity, as I have long planned to sell the land for some other purpose.“
