Growth Centres Will Boost Pune’s Economic Development & Employment, Says PMRDA Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhari at PROP CONNECT 2026

Pune, 6th July 2026: The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) is preparing a structural development plan that will guide the Pune Metropolitan Region’s growth over the next two decades, with infrastructure, mobility, and economic decentralisation at its core, PMRDA Commissioner Dr Abhijit Chaudhari said on Monday.

Addressing the inaugural session of PROP CONNECT 2026, one of India’s largest one-day real estate conferences, organized jointly by the Professional Realtors of Pune (PROP) and the National Association of Realtors-India (NAR-India) at JW Marriott, Chaudhari said the authority plans to prepare the draft structural plan shortly and finalise it within 18 months.

He said the plan would initially focus on core infrastructure rather than land-use zoning. “The emphasis will be on strengthening road networks, transport infrastructure, water resources, hilltops, and environmentally sensitive no-development zones. Zoning will be taken up at a later stage after factoring in regional planning provisions and future development requirements,” he said.

A key highlight of the proposed roadmap is the creation of 18 Growth Centres across the Pune Metropolitan Region under the initiatives of the NITI Aayog and the Maharashtra government. These centres, planned around Metro stations and strategically identified locations, will be developed as thematic business hubs and industrial clusters aimed at generating employment and promoting balanced regional growth.

“The Growth Centres will emerge as new economic growth engines for Pune. They will encourage investments, create jobs, and reduce development pressure on the city’s core by distributing growth across emerging locations,” Chaudhari said. He also described the proposed international airport as a ‘game changer’ for the region, saying it would accelerate development in surrounding areas and significantly enhance Pune’s economic potential.

Giving an update on transport infrastructure, the commissioner said operations on the first 12 stations of Metro Line 3 are expected to commence by the end of this month, while the remaining corridor is targeted for completion by the end of 2026. He added that projects such as the regional ring road would play a crucial role in improving connectivity and opening up new areas for urban expansion. Together, these projects are expected to create opportunities across sectors, including industry, construction, education, healthcare, and tourism.

PMRDA Additional Commissioner K. Manjulakshmi said addressing Pune’s traffic congestion remains a priority. She noted that the expanding Metro network and the ring road project would significantly improve mobility in the metropolitan region. She also stressed the need for additional water treatment infrastructure to meet the city’s growing demand and said the real estate sector continues to play an important role in Pune’s urban development.

CREDAI Pune President Manish Jain described real estate consultants as ‘co-developers’, who bridge the gap between developers and homebuyers. He urged property consultants to uphold professionalism, integrity, and customer satisfaction while building long-term relationships in the sector.

Welcoming the delegates, PROP President Udayan Mane said the overwhelming participation reflected the growing strength of the organised real estate community. He said the conference aimed to provide direction on emerging trends such as artificial intelligence, automation, entrepreneurship, and business expansion, while helping shape Pune’s future urban growth.

PROP CONNECT 2026 Convenor Ramesh Toshniwal said the event had brought together the country’s leading real estate stakeholders on a single platform. More than 2,000 realtors from 38 cities and over 300 developers and industry partners participated in the conference.

Former PROP President Darshan Chawla said the objective was to strengthen collaboration between developers and realtors while creating awareness about emerging business opportunities in the sector.

The conference featured expert sessions on artificial intelligence and automation by Vaibhav Sisinty, the future of the real estate market by CA Sarthak Ahuja, and business growth strategies by Rajiv Talreja. A special leadership conversation titled ‘The Panchshil Story’ featured Atul Chordia, Chairman of Panchshil Realty, who shared his entrepreneurial journey from being a property broker to building one of India’s leading luxury real estate brands.

Reflecting on the company’s growth, Chordia said Panchshil’s journey began with the development of EON Park in 2002 and has since expanded into premium residential, commercial, hospitality, and infrastructure projects across millions of square feet. He attributed the company’s success to timely project delivery, customer commitment, and a long-term vision, adding that contributing to Pune’s emergence as an internationally recognised city remains a matter of pride.