Pune: SRA Approvals Under Scanner As Ex-Corporators Allege Misuse Of 'Slum-Like' Classification For Private Lands

Former Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) corporators have alleged that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) is approving slum rehabilitation schemes on privately owned wada properties and settlements by categorising them as slum-like, causing massive financial losses to the civic body.

In a letter addressed to PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, the former corporators claimed that several private properties, which are not officially declared slums, are being brought under SRA schemes through a legal loophole by obtaining reports from PMC deputy commissioners.

According to the letter, many of these properties fall on lands reserved in the city’s Development Plan.

Former corporator Ujjwal Keskar alleged that such lands are being shown as slum-like settlements to facilitate SRA approvals.

The letter states that if a 10,000 sq ft plot is declared for slum rehabilitation, the PMC suffers a loss of nearly ₹4.5 crore in construction premium and related charges.

Keskar further claimed that the SRA has recently accelerated approvals for such projects involving old wadas and private buildings across Pune. He also pointed out that former municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar had earlier issued written instructions to halt such proposals. Despite this, they alleged that permissions for slum-like schemes continue to be granted aggressively.

Former corporator Prashant Badhe demanded that the PMC formally object to any attempt to declare non-notified private properties as slums. He also urged the municipal commissioner to direct deputy commissioners not to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) without prior written approval from the commissioner.

Claiming that the civic body’s revenue is being severely affected while a “factory” of TDR generation is operating unchecked, the signatories sought immediate intervention. They demanded that all reports submitted by PMC deputy commissioners to the SRA be reviewed and that approvals be stayed until detailed scrutiny is completed.

Suhas Kulkarni, another former corporator, also alleged that certain developers and officials are working together to push such projects in the densely populated Peth areas of Pune by indiscriminately classifying properties as slums.