Former Mayor and Member of Parliament Vandana Chavan has called on the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to adopt a clear and firm stance in favour of protecting the city’s hills and Biodiversity Park (BDP) areas.
Chavan met PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum demanding that the civic body present its position strongly before the study group formed by the state government under former IAS officer Ramnath Jha. The committee is tasked with examining issues related to the protection of Pune’s ecologically sensitive hills and BDP zones.
“The hills are critical for biodiversity conservation, groundwater recharge, flood prevention, climate regulation, and reducing carbon emissions. At a time when Pune already suffers from a shortage of open spaces, allowing construction on the hills would seriously compromise the health and well-being of citizens,” Chavan said.
She pointed out that during the formulation of the Development Plan, over 90,000 Pune residents had filed objections and suggestions opposing construction on the hills—an unprecedented response reflecting citizens’ determination to preserve the natural landscape. The General Body of the PMC had also endorsed this stand.
Chavan alleged that the civic body’s inaction had enabled illegal construction on the hills. Despite government notifications in 2005 and 2016 mandating satellite imagery every six months to track encroachments, PMC failed to comply. She added that under Section 56 A of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act (1966), officials can face jail or fines for failing to act against unauthorised structures, but no such accountability has been enforced so far.
“Citizens and the city must not be made to suffer because of the inaction of the Municipal Corporation,” she added.
The memorandum was submitted in the presence of Pune Urban Cell president Swapnil Dudhane, along with Neeta Galande, Sachin Yadav, Vrushali Dabholkar and Jayesh Murkute.
