Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In the first meeting between Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Indore Development Authority (IDA) since he became head of the corporation, mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav made it clear that the land beneath bridges in city belongs to IMC. “Since IMC owns the land beneath the bridges it is for us to decide how the land will be utilised,” he said during the joint meeting held at city bus office. The meeting, chaired by the mayor, saw the participation of collector Asheesh Singh, municipal commissioner Shivam Verma, IDA CEO Ram Prakash Ahirwar and other senior officials from both IMC and IDA.
One of the key topics of discussion was the utilisation of spaces under major city bridges, including Khajrana, Bhanwarkua, Futi Kothi and the upcoming Lavkush Bridge. The collector endorsed the mayor’s stance stating that IDA’s role is limited to bridge construction, while the corporation is responsible for determining the use of space beneath them. Citing the successful implementation of hawkers' zones under Bengali Bridge, the mayor said that similar initiatives would be introduced under other bridges. After discussions, officials agreed to allocate 50% of the space for hawkers' zones and the remaining 50% for sports activities.
IDA owes over 157 cr to IMC
Another critical issue raised was the outstanding dues of IDA to IMC, which amount to a total of Rs 157.77 crore. The dues include Rs 89.56 crore under the current development schemes and Rs 68.21 crore under the town planning scheme. To address this, mayor, collector and IDA officers decided to form a special review committee consisting of two officials each from IMC and IDA. This committee will examine the pending dues and payments made by IDA to IMC to ensure proper financial accountability.
