Pune ring road plan: PMRDA holds preliminary talks with villages for upcoming town planning schemes

PUNE: The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) officials on Thursday assured farmers that no land would be acquired for upcoming Town Planning (TP) schemes along the inner ring road in Maval taluka without their consent.

The scheme proposes a 65-metre-wide bypass road network through the villages of Dhamane, Godumbare, Darumbre, Salumbre, Sangwade, and Nere. It is part of the state government’s phased plan to address mounting traffic congestion in the region. In the PMRDA budget, 15 town planning schemes were proposed along the ring road.

At a consultation meeting held at the PMRDA office on Thursday, PMRDA Commissioner Yogesh Mhase told farmers that their concerns would be addressed before any acquisition took place. “We will not move forward without the consent of all affected farmers,” he said, adding that the authority would first clarify doubts, ensure proper coordination, and work to protect farmers’ interests.

Maval MLA Sunil Shelke, who attended the meeting, stressed the need to safeguard agricultural livelihoods. He urged the administration to ensure that no farmer is harmed and called on the state government to immediately follow up on the scheme’s timeline and compensation package for affected families.

To give farmers a clear understanding of the project, Joint Metropolitan Planner Shweta Patil from PMRDA’s Town Planning Department made a detailed presentation outlining the scheme’s layout, the implementation process, and potential benefits for those who choose to participate. Mhase emphasised that the project aimed to create a well-planned urban area with the necessary infrastructure for a growing population while ensuring development benefits all stakeholders.

Patil told TOI that it was a preliminary meeting and would be followed up with several interactions.

The meeting was attended by senior PMRDA officials, including Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Deepak Singla and Director of Development Permission and Planning Department Avinash Patil, along with department staff and several affected farmers.