Pune: In a major step to boost infrastructure, the state government has decided to transfer 1,878 hectares of land to the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) free of cost. The land will be used for infrastructure projects and for raising funds through development.
District Collector Jitendra Dudi said the decision was taken on Wednesday. A total of 174 land parcels owned by the state government have been identified for transfer.
These land parcels are spread across eight talukas of Pune district. These include Haveli, Mulshi, Daund, Shirur, Purandar, Bhor, Khed and Maval. Many of these lands are currently unused. Officials said it has been difficult for the district administration to monitor and protect them. Some parcels have already seen encroachments, while others are at risk.
To solve this issue, the state government had last year decided to transfer unused government land to regional development authorities for planned use. This move does not include the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The aim is to prevent encroachments and speed up development work.
“The government had issued orders last year to transfer these lands for infrastructure projects. We have prepared the list, and the process has now started,” Dudi said.
The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority was set up in 2016 to plan and develop the Pune Metropolitan Region. This region includes more than 800 villages. The authority is responsible for preparing development plans for these areas. However, an earlier draft plan had to be cancelled due to legal issues.
Officials said PMRDA is now working on a structural plan. After this, a fresh development plan will be prepared. The focus will be on reserving land for roads and other key infrastructure projects.
The decision is expected to help better use of unused government land and support faster development across the Pune region.
