High-Level Meeting Held to Resolve Pune, Kirkee Cantonment Merger Issues
Pune, 11th December 2024: Discussions regarding the merger of the Pune Cantonment Board and Kirkee Cantonment Board (Khadki) with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have been ongoing for several months. In this context, a high-level meeting was held yesterday involving the Southern Command of the Department of Defence, the Department of Defence, PMC, and officials from both Cantonment Boards. Seven major issues were discussed during the meeting, and a report will be sent to the Department of Defense. Following that, the Central and Maharashtra State Governments will decide on merging both Cantonment Boards with the PMC.
The decision to integrate the country’s Cantonment Boards with local bodies is made at the central level. Pune City has two cantonments: Pune and Kirkee. If merged with the PMC, this integration could facilitate infrastructure development in the area. Although discussions have been ongoing for the past year, disagreements over the transfer of Cantonment Board land, employee reassignment, internal roads, and other amenities have delayed progress.
To address these issues, the Department of Defence directed the Southern Command of the Army to organise a coordination meeting to clarify the roles of the PMC and the Cantonment Boards and to resolve pending concerns. Accordingly, this high-level meeting was convened. Attendees included PMC Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale, Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B. P., Southern Command Joint Director Rajendra Jagtap, President of both Cantonment Boards Brigadier Sandeep Vasudeva, Pune Cantonment Chief Executive Officer Suraj Pal, Kirkee Cantonment Chief Executive Officer Meenakshi Lohia, and other officials.
The Department of Defence proposed discussing seven key issues during the meeting. These included the process for transferring Cantonment Board sites, adjusting Cantonment Board employees within the PMC, transferring roads and communication systems, providing civil facilities, determining assets and liabilities after the transfer, and managing the handover of relevant documents. The report generated from these discussions will be sent to the Department of Defence in Delhi. Following this, the Central and Maharashtra State Governments will make a final decision regarding the merger.
Southern Command Joint Director Rajendra Jagtap stated, “Discussions about the merger of Pune and Kirkee Cantonments with the PMC have been ongoing for several months. The Department of Defence instructed the Southern Command to organise a coordination meeting to address issues between the two organisations and resolve any doubts. This high-level meeting addressed six to seven key issues, and its findings will be submitted to the Department of Defence in Delhi. The final decision will then be made by the Central and Maharashtra State Governments.”
