PMRDA advances Maan-Mhalunge town Plan

Officials from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) are preparing to send the final arbitration report of the Maan-Mhalunge town planning scheme to the state government for its ultimate approval, with submission expected next month.According to a PMRDA official, approximately 510 plots and 5,800 beneficiaries have been identified for the town planning scheme, wherein beneficiaries will receive 50% of the land back at the same location. This proposal was initially announced in 2018.The hearings for the plots within the scheme have been concluded, and we are now ready to forward the report to the state government, said the official.A senior PMRDA official explained that a town planning scheme allows landowners to receive 50% of the developed plots, creating a mutually beneficial arrangement for landowners who are willing to contribute their land.The state government currently has five town planning schemes awaiting clearance, all following the Gujarat model of town planning schemes. The Maan-Mhalunge town planning scheme is expected to serve as a model for the remaining schemes.These five schemes will be implemented in Wadachiwadi, Autade Handewadi, Manjari Kolwadi, and Holkarwadi (two schemes), covering a total of 751.55 hectares of land.Initial funding for these schemes will be sourced from the PMRDA's corpus, and they have been designed as revenue models for the proposed 128-km PMRDA inner ring road. The central government was expected to provide Rs 250 million for each of the five town planning schemes as part of infrastructure project support. PMRDA had allocated Rs 1.75 billion for these schemes from its budget. Successful execution of town planning schemes in Maharashtra has followed the Gujarat government's model.